Mary Stuart

January 29, February 1, 3, 5 and 6, 2011

For a queen to stand, a queen must fall.

Two of history's most commanding women, Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, engage in a ruthless fight for the English throne - and the heart of one man. While Mary languishes in prison, Elizabeth forges a devastating plot to secure the crown. Judith Howarth (Mary) and Brenda Harris (Elizabeth), star as the dueling divas.

Sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage.

Estimated run time, including intermission is 2 hours and 51 minutes.

Dates + Performances

*Section F is Partial View. Stage and/or surtitles may be partially obstructed from seats in this area.

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Act I

Act II

Scene one – Elizabeth's apartments in Westminster Palace  Elizabeth ponders the sheet of paper before her which Cecil urges her to sign – Mary's death warrant. The queen hesitates, fearing public opinion and Mary's ghost. But when she sees Leicester enter, she jealously signs the document. In one ear, Leicester begs her to stay the execution while in the other, Cecil insists she enforce the law. An implacable Elizabeth will not be swayed – Mary has betrayed both her throne and her heart.

Scene two – Mary's apartments in Fotheringhay Castle  Mary is still furious at Elizabeth's behavior in the park and weeps over her fate. Cecil enters and delivers the sentence of death. Alone with Talbot, Mary bemoans her fate, recalling her past transgressions and the men that have vainly died in her name. Talbot gives her absolution, and she prepares to go to her death cleansed of any sin.

Members of Mary's household gather for the grim task at hand as she bids them farewell. As a final request, Mary asks Cecil if she may be accompanied to the chopping block by Anne, her closest companion. Ordered by the queen to attend the bloody event, Leicester shares a final moment with his former lover before she begins her ascent to the scaffold.

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Mary Stuart

Creative Team

The Cast

Lord Cecil, Elisabetta's councilor

Setting

Eric Cutler (Leicester)

American tenor Eric Cutler is the winner of the 2005 Richard Tucker Award and is already being hailed as one of the most promising singers of his generation. He has attracted the attention of the world's major opera houses as well as gaining a notable following in both orchestral and recital repertoire. He is equally at home in the high lying roles of Bellini and Donizetti as with the major protagonists of Mozart and the French repertoire. -

A very busy 2009–2010 season for Eric Cutler begins with a return to Houston Grand Opera as Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore under the baton of Edoardo Müller. He then travels to the Metropolitan Opera to perform the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier conducted by James Levine and opposite Renée Fleming and Susan Graham. This production will be shown live in HD in theaters throughout the world. 2010 also sees Eric's debut with Canadian Opera Company as Leicester in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda conducted by Anthony Walker and as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte in Toulouse' Théâtre du Capitole. Concert highlights include a return to the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Rossini's Stabat mater under Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 under Sir Roger Norrington at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke's.

Following his role debut as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor at Opera Australia (conducted by Richard Bonynge), Eric Cutler began the 2008–2009 season with a return to Lyric Opera of Chicago as Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles. Another role debut - this time as the Duke in Rigoletto – marked his return to Houston Grand Opera. He returned to the Paris Opera as the Shepherd in Szymanowski's King Roger in a new production conducted by Kazushi Ono. His season concluded with his debut at the Salzburg Festival as Aménophis in Rossini's Moïse et Pharaon conducted by Riccardo Muti.

The summer of 2006 saw Eric Cutler making his debut with the Royal Opera - Covent Garden as Ernesto in Don Pasquale to critical acclaim. His busy UK summer also included his debut at the Edinburgh Festival as Tamino under Claudio Abbado and Mozart's Mass in C Minor at the Proms under Sir Charles Mackerras. He began the 2006–2007 season with his Paris Opera debut as Iopas in Les Troyens. This was followed by a major revival of I puritani at the Metropolitan Opera (in the virtuosic role of Arturo) opposite Anna Netrebko and conducted by Patrick Summers. This was featured on HD telecast to theaters and will be issued on DVD. Later in the season he made his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Ferrando in Così fan tutte under Sir Andrew Davis. He also made his Boston Symphony debut at the Tanglewood Festival and sang a concert performance of Die Zauberflöte at the Hollywood Bowl under Leonard Slatkin.

Recent seasons have seen Eric Cutler return to the Metropolitan Opera as Andres in Wozzeck under James Levine and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. He also made his role debut as Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at Opera Australia. He debuted at the Teatro Real (Madrid) as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and with the Vlaamse Opera as Leicester in Maria Stuarda returning later for concert performances of La damnation de Faust, Nemorino in Boston Lyric Opera's L'elisir d'amore and Die Zauberflöte at Houston Grand Opera. An equally distinguished recitalist, he makes recital debuts at London's Wigmore Hall, New York's Weill Recital Hall and in Kansas City's critically acclaimed Harriman-Jewel Series. He also sang Mozart's Requiem under the baton of Christoph von Dohnanyi in a return to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under James Levine as Iopas in a concert version of Les Troyens.

Eric Cutler made his European debut at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa singing Rossini's Stabat mater under Riccardo Frizza. He made his debut at the Grand Théâtre de Genève as Leicester followed by his UK operatic debut as Tamino at the Glyndebourne Festival. He also has performed Arturo in Bellini's I puritani for his debuts at Palm Beach Opera and Vancouver Opera.

EMI issued Eric Cutler's first solo recording in September 2003, a program with pianist Bradley Moore featuring music of Barber, Schumann, Hahn and Liszt. This disc was awarded the Record of the Month distinction from Opera News. He sang the demanding role of Léopold in Halevy's La Juïve in the acclaimed Günter Krämer production conducted by Marcello Viotti at the Metropolitan Opera. He debuted with Opera Pacific as Ferrando in Così fan tutte and with Opera Colorado as Alfredo in La traviata. He returned to the San Francisco Symphony for concert performances of Fidelio under Michael Tilson Thomas and made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen in Berlioz's Lélio returning later in the season for the composer's Requiem. His season concluded with his debut at Santa Fe Opera as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni under the baton of Alan Gilbert. He made his Kennedy Center debut in recital and returned to his alma mater Luther College for a recital.

In recent seasons, Eric Cutler has sung with Boston Lyric Opera (Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail) and Pittsburgh Opera (Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Alfredo in La traviata) as well as Opera Australia (Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles). His concert appearances included his debut with the Minnesota Orchestra in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, with the San Francisco Symphony as the Steuermann in concert performances of Der fliegende Holländer under Michael Tilson Thomas and a return for Messiah with the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor. He took part in staged performances of Così fan tutte with the Brooklyn Philharmonic under Robert Spano and directed by Sir Jonathan Miller. He also appeared in recital in Ames, Iowa under the auspices of the Marilyn Horne Foundation and on the Foundation's annual Gala concert in January 2003.

Other Met roles have included Vogelgesang in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg conducted by James Levine (telecast on PBS and available on DVD) as well as First Prisoner in Fidelio in a new Jürgen Flimm production conducted by Levine (also telecast and on DVD) and the First Student from Wittenberg in Busoni's Doktor Faust. He made his Houston Grand Opera debut as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail conducted by Patrick Summers and directed by James Robinson. He also debuted with Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Tamino in a new production of Die Zauberflöte. He made his Wolf Trap Opera Company debut as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. While at Wolf Trap, he also participated in a National Symphony Concert and performed in recital with pianist Steven Blier. He returned there as Lysander.

Notable concert appearances have included the Messiah with the Baltimore Symphony, his New York solo recital debut under the auspices of the Marilyn Horne Foundation, and a gala to honor Ms. Horne at the University of Michigan. He sang a concert version of Stravinsky's Renard with the MET Chamber Ensemble under Levine. Mr. Cutler performed songs by Erik Satie with Maestro Levine and the Met Chamber Ensemble at Weill Recital Hall.

Mr. Cutler, a native of Adel, Iowa and a graduate of Luther College, was the recipient of a Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation in 2000. This was followed by a Tucker Career Grant for 2001. He was a 1999 winner of the Houston Grand Opera Studio's Eleanor McCallum Auditions. He is also the winner of the 2001 Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center and a 2002 ARIA award. He is an alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and was a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1998.

Brenda Harris (Elizabeth)

Ms. Harris has appeared in leading roles with opera companies and orchestras throughout the world. In North America, she has been heard at the Metropolitan Opera (Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito), The Washington Opera (title role in Agrippina and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni), Washington Concert Opera (title role in Roberto Devereux), Minnesota Opera (title roles in Norma, Armida and Semiramide, and Vitellia, Violetta in La traviata, Camilla in Mercadante's Orazi e Curiazi), New York City Opera (title role in Handel's Agrippina, Donna Anna), Austin Lyric Opera (Chrysothemis in Elektra and Katarina in Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk), Atlanta Opera (Desdemona in Otello, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro), Michigan Opera Theatre (Norma and the Countess), Arizona Opera (Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth), Opera Theatre of St. Louis (Countess) and Utah Opera (title role in Ariadne auf Naxos).

In Canada, she has sung leading roles with the Canadian Opera Company, Montreal Opera, Edmonton Opera, Opera de Québec, and Vancouver Opera.

In Europe, Ms. Harris has appeared in Spoleto, Italy as Eva in Die Meistersinger, with Opera du Rhin in Strasbourg as Vitellia and the title role in Barber's Vanessa, and most recently again as Vanessa with Teatro Massimo in Palermo.

In 2006, Ms. Harris debuted the Strauss Four Last Songs with the New Haven Symphony as well as Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony under Maestro Keith Lockhart and the Utah Symphony.

In 2007, she returned to the role of Lady Macbeth (Verdi) with Edmonton Opera as well as the role of Tosca with the Cleveland Opera, and rejoined Chicago's Music of the Baroque with Jane Glover conducting. She also returned to Austin Lyric Opera for the season opening gala.

The 2008–2009 season emphasized operas of the 20th century. Three were by Benjamin Britten: Albert Herring (Lady Billows) and The Turn of the Screw (Governess) with Portland Opera, and Mrs. Julian in Owen Wingrave with Chicago Opera Theater, and the role of Anna Maurrant in Kurt Weill's Street Scene with Chautauqua Opera. She also added the role of Agathe in Weber's Der Freischutz at Des Moines Metro Opera.    

In concert, she performed Beethoven's Ah, Perfido with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and as soprano soloist in the Verdi Requiem with the North Carolina Master Chorale. She has also performed as soloist with the St. Louis Symphony, The Orchestra of St. Luke's, Honolulu Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic and Boston Baroque as well as numerous Carnegie Hall performances with the Oratorio Society of New York

Ms. Harris has recorded leading roles for Newport Classic, including Scarlatti's Ishmael, Haydn's La Cantarina and The Creation, and on Vox with Handel's Tolomeo. Just released (spring 2009) is Daron Hagen's Shining Brow on Naxos.

The soprano returns to both Opera Lyra (Ottawa Canada) and Des Moines Metro Opera for Lady Macbeth and Kansas City Lyric Opera as Donna Anna.

Judith Howarth (Mary)

One of the most sought-after sopranos in Europe, Judith Howarth has consolidated a strong public following and critical appraisal for her work, particularly in the field of Bel Canto opera. Currently enjoying a particularly busy and successful schedule, her most recent and future engagements include Marguerite in Faust for Minnesota Opera, the title role in Madama Butterfly for both ENO and Welsh National Opera, and the title role in Handel's Armida for Garsington Opera as well as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, both i n 2010. In 2011, confirmed engagements already include a return to Minnesota Opera in the title role in Maria Stuarda. She makes a welcome return to Opera Rara this year to record Mercadante's I Nomanni a Parigi.

Judith Howarth first came to public attention by leaving the Royal Scottish Academy and joining the Royal Opera House - Covent Garden as a principal artist. During nine seasons there, she sang many roles including Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, Iris in Semele, Musetta in La bohème, Liù in Turandot, Gilda in Rigoletto, Morgana in Alcina, Norina in Don Pasquale, Cressida in Troilus and Cressida and Marguerite in Les Huguenots. Subsequent engagements worldwide include Musetta in Cincinnati, Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes in Toulouse and Santiago de Chile, Christine in Intermezzo and Aithra in Die ägyptische Helena in Santa Fe, Nedda in Pagliacci and all four soprano roles in Les contes d'Hoffmann for Florida Grand Opera, Olga in Fedora for the Washington National Opera, Violetta in La traviata for Minnesota Opera, English National Opera and Glyndebourne, Marzelline in Fidelio, Stonatrilla in Gassmann's L'opera seria and Liù at the Staatsoper Berlin, Dalila in Samson (Handel) for the Netherlands Opera, Marie in La fille du régiment in Geneva, Pamina in Strasbourg, and Leïla in The Pearl Fishers, Fiorilla in The Turk in Italy and Madame Mao in Nixon in China for ENO.

On the concert platform, Judith has toured with Plàcido Domingo to Seattle, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Brussels and Amsterdam, going on to sing Strauss' Four Last Songs in Vienna conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Her festival appearances include Aix-en-Provence, The Proms, Tanglewood, Edinburgh and Salzburg. She has worked with many distinguished conductors including Georges Prêtre, Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Georg Solti, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Claudio Abbado, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Charles Mackerras and Seiji Ozawa.

Judith has appeared on television all over the world and has a discography of more than 30 recordings including Troilus and Cressida, conducted by Richard Hickox, which won Gramophone Magazine's Opera of the Year. Her latest recordings are Il degreto di Susanna with the Oviedo Filarmonia under Friedrich Haider and the title role in Mercadante's Maria Stuarda, regina di Scozia for Opera Rara.

In 2004, she sang Butterfly in a new production, staged for her by Colin Graham, at Minnesota Opera. More recently she has sung Gilda for ENO, Elvira in I puritani with Chelsea Opera Group, Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem in Florence under Stefan Anton Reck, a repeat of her critically acclaimed performance of Madame Mao in Nixon in China for the Greek National Opera, Catherine in La jolie fille de Perth with Chelsea Opera Group, Britten's War Requiem and Mahler's Symphony No. 8 at the Three Choirs Festival, Parasha in Stravinsky's Mavra in Athens, and most recently, Mendelssohn's Lobgesang with the Bergen Philharmonic. In recent years, she has sung the title role in Anthony Minghella's production of Madama Butterfly for ENO, Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony in Gloucester Cathedral, La fée in Cendrillon for Chelsea Opera Group, Baroness Freimann in Der Wildschütz at this year's Buxton Festival, Marguerete in Faust for Minnesota Opera and a revival of Madama Butterfly for ENO.

Jonathan Kimple (Talbot)

Bass-baritone Jonathan Kimple recently completed Portland Opera's Studio Artist Program, where he sang the roles of Giove in Cavalli's La Calisto, Count Ceprano in Rigoletto and the Marchese d'Obigny in La traviata while covering the role of Don Pizarro in Fidelio. As a Santa Fe Apprentice Artist, Mr. Kimple covered the roles of Farasmane in Handel's Radamisto, the title role in Le nozze di Figaro and Alcindoro/Benoit in La bohème. For Sarasota Opera he has sung Count Ceprano in Rigoletto and covered Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. Other credits include the Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance for Virginia Opera, Colline (cover) in La bohème for Dicapo Opera and the Grand Prêtre in Antonio Sacchini's Oedipe à Colone for Opera Lafayette.

Originally from central Iowa, Mr. Kimple obtained his bachelor of music degree from the University of Maryland and his master of music degree from Manhattan School of Music, where he performed the roles of William Emmons in The Village Singer and Simone in Gianni Schicchi. He has also attended the Music Academy of the West, covering Don Profondo for its production of Il viaggio a Reims. As a Minnesota Opera Resident Artist, Mr. Kimple sang Nourabad in The Pearl Fishers, the Second Inquisitor and Tartaglia in Casanova's Homecoming, Gualtiero Raleigh in Roberto Devereux, Colline in La bohème and the Second Soldier in Salome. This season he returns to sing Talbot in Mary Stuart and Baron Douphol in La traviata.

Anne Manson (conductor)

Anne Manson has achieved a series of historic milestones. She was the first woman to conduct at the Salzburg Festival, where she led the Vienna Philharmonic in Boris Godunov. She is music director of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra with whom she has led two hugely successful tours: one with world famous soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian that comprised appearances in San Francisco, Orange County, Vancouver, Toronto, Boston and Carnegie Hall. In September, she conducted the orchestra in a Canadian tour with famed percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie.

Ms. Manson's conducting spans the globe. She is the third woman to have been appointed music director of a leading American symphony orchestra, having served as music director of the Kansas City Symphony from 1999 to 2003, where she was widely hailed for transforming the standard of orchestral playing. She came to prominence early in her career as music director of the London-based Mecklenburgh Opera (from 1988 to 1996), programming operas ranging from Mozart to 20th-century rarities, while commissioning world premieres from a host of contemporary composers. She regularly conducts the Orquesta de Extremadura in Spain.

Last season's opera appearances included Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Canadian Opera Company, for which she received Canada's DORA Award for outstanding musical direction, the top Canadian prize for theater, dance, and opera. She made her debut at the Minnesota Opera in the U.S. premiere of Jonathan Dove's The Adventures of Pinocchio and was immediately invited back to conduct Donizetti's Maria Stuarda for the 2010–2011 season.

Recent opera appearances include Samuel Barber's Vanessa for New York City Opera, about which The New York Times said, "Ms. Manson ... has broken into the New York opera scene, and it's about time." For this production she won the Richard F. Gold Debut Award which is presented to the best debut artist of the season. She has also conducted Così fan tutte for San Francisco Opera, the world premiere of Scott Wheeler's Democracy (commissioned by Plácido Domingo) for Washington National Opera, and Orpheé by Philip Glass for Glimmerglass opera. Other major productions include Carlisle Floyd's Susanna for the Grand Théâtre de Genève and Donizetti's Viva la Mamma for the Stockholm Royal Opera.

In the 2009–2010 season she makes her debut with the American Composers Orchestra in Carnegie's Zankel Hall with a program featuring Conversations with Cachao by Paquito d'Rivera and world premieres by Sebastian Currier and Roger Zare. In Canada, she will record live concerts this season with soprano Measha Brueggergosman and recorder virtuoso Michala Petri. In April, she will lead the Juilliard Opera Center in Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites.

A reputation for excellence in the central German repertory, combined with a passionate advocacy of music of the present, has led to invitations to leading orchestras worldwide: she has conducted Paris' Ensemble Intercontemporain, the London Philharmonic, the Royal National Scottish Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Orchestra, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, the Leipzig Radio Orchestra, and the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague. In America, her engagements include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony and The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Recent recordings include two releases for BIS: a flute concerto by Mari Takano with flautist Sharon Bezaly and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and tuba concerti with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra with tubist Øystein Baadsvik.

Kevin Newbury (stage director)

Recent New York: Bernstein's Mass (Carnegie Hall, United Palace, also Baltimore and Kennedy Center), Candy & Dorothy (GLAAD winner), The Second Tosca, The Eumenides, The Black Monk, Kiss & Cry and concerts at Joe's Pub, Birdland and Ars Nova. Recent Opera Credits: La Cenerentola (Glimmerglass Opera), La bohème (Wolf Trap Opera), Falstaff (Santa Fe Opera), Roberto Devereux, The Barber of Seville, Il trovatore and The Marriage of Figaro (The Minnesota Opera), The Magic Flute (Houston Grand Opera and Opera Colorado), Nixon in China (Revival Director: Minnesota, Chicago, Portland, Cincinnati). Upcoming: Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda (Minnesota Opera), Virginia (Wexford Opera Festival), Eugene Onegin (Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Mass (European Tour) and the world premiere of Life is a Dream (Santa Fe Opera). Education: Bowdoin College, Oxford University.

Michael Nyby (Cecil)

Baritone Michael Nyby joins the Minnesota Opera's Resident Artist Program after having spent this past summer as a part of the prestigious Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist program. Previously, he has sung Moralès in Carmen for Vancouver Opera and Figaro in The Barber of Barkerville for Vancouver Opera in Schools. For Burnaby Lyric Opera, Mr. Nyby has sung Haly in The Italian Girl in Algiers and the title roles of Don Giovanni and Il barbiere di Siviglia for the European Music Academy of Teplice.

Mr. Nyby holds a master's degree in opera from the University of British Columbia, where he has sung the roles of Ford in Falstaff, Falke in Die Fledermaus and Cascada in The Merry Widow. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Ithaca College, performing such roles Cascada, David in A Hand of Bridge, the Secret Police Agent in The Consul and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. He also appeared as Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi for the Ithaca Opera Company. For the Minnesota Opera's 2009–2010 season, Mr. Nyby appeared as the Montebank in Casanova's Homecoming, the Page in Roberto Devereux, Schaunard in La bohème and the Fifth Jew in Salome. This season, he returns to sing Cecil in Mary Stuart and the Marchese d'Obigny in La traviata.

Victoria Vargas (Anne)

Mezzo-soprano Victoria Vargas completed her master of music degree from Manhattan School of Music this past May, where she appeared as Euryclée in Fauré's Pénélope, and the Beggar and Mrs. Peachum in The Beggar's Opera. Other credits include Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro for Ash Lawn Opera and Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance; the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, the title role in Carmen and Dorabella in Così fan tutte for Hillman Opera; Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music for Lyric Arts International; and Miss Todd in The Old Main and the Thief for Fredonia Opera Theater.

Ms. Vargas has been a young artist at Sarasota Opera, where she covered the role of Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria rusticana. She covered the same role at Chautauqua Opera last summer, won the opera company's Guild Studio Artist Award and has been invited back as an Apprentice Artist. For her first season as a Minnesota Opera Resident Artist, Ms. Vargas will sing Tisbe in Cinderella, Anna in Maria Stuarda and Flora in La traviata.

Gaetano Donizetti

b Bergamo, November 29, 1797; d Bergamo, April 8, 1848

With nearly 70 operas to his credit, Gaetano Donizetti was the leading Italian composer in the decade between Vincenzo Bellini's death and the ascent of Giuseppe Verdi. Donizetti was born in the northern Italian city of Bergamo to an impoverished family. After showing some musical talent, he was enrolled in the town's Lezioni Caritatevoli where he had the good fortune to study with Giovanni Simone Mayr, maestro di cappella at Santa Maria Maggiore. Originally from Bavaria, Mayr was a successful composer in Italy during the era preceding Rossini's rise to fame, with dozens of operas to his credit. Though offered many prestigious appointments throughout Europe, Mayr remained loyal to his adopted community and greatly enhanced the local musical institutions. Donizetti arrived at a time when Mayr was writing his greatest operas, and his impression on the younger composer was pronounced. Throughout his life, Donizetti regarded him as a second father, though he would outlive his master by only three years.
    

When it came time, Donizetti furthered his education at the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna (shadowing Rossini, who had once studied there). He had already penned several short operas before receiving his first commission in 1818 from the Teatro San Luca in Venice – this was Enrico di Borgogna to a libretto by Bartolomeo Merelli. (In later years, as impresario of La Scala, Merelli was instrumental in the beginnings of Verdi's career.) Further works were produced in Venice, but Donizetti returned to Bergamo for a few years of relative inactivity. A letter of introduction from Mayr to poet Jacopo Ferretti led Donizetti to Rome, where in 1822 he would have his first unequivocal success, Zoraide di Grenata. His career was just getting started.
    

Later that year Donizetti settled in Naples and used it as a base for the next 16 years. He arrived just as Rossini was finishing his seven-year contract with the royal theaters. Like Rossini he had the ability to work at the increasingly rapid pace demanded by the Italian theater industry and was able to produce three to four operas a year for most of his life.
    

Many remain timeless gems. L'elisir d'amore (1832), La fille du régiment (1840) and Don Pasquale (1843) demonstrated his expert handling of lighter subjects. Lucrezia Borgia (1833), Gemma di Vergy (1834), Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), Maria de Rudenz (1838) and Maria Padilla (1841) displayed the composer's mastery of the Italian melodrama fueled by impassioned and unrestrained literature of the Romantic period. His influence on Verdi cannot be underestimated.
    

Donizetti's success in dealing with both comic and tragic settings was due in part to his own manic depressive personality. Well acquainted with personal misfortune, Donizetti lost in the span of eight years his mother, father, two infant sons, an infant daughter and Virginia Vasselli, his wife of seven years. He never truly recuperated after her death, locking the door to her room and refusing to utter her name again. His melancholia may have been induced by early symptoms of syphilis, which he contracted as a young man. It may have also been brought on by the responsibility he felt for harboring the disease that likely cost him his wife and children.
    

Donizetti made his Paris debut in 1835 with Marino Faliero at the Théâtre Italien and later premiered Les martyrs (1840) at the Paris Opéra. A French translation of Lucia made his name a household word, and in 1840 the composer captivated audiences with La favorite, which became hugely popular throughout Europe and North America. One of his very last works for the stage, Dom Sébastien (1843), was cast in the mold of French grand opéra and was extremely well-received.
    

The composer had hoped to assume Niccolò Zingarelli's post as director of the Naples Conservatory, but when the 85-year-old composer died in 1837, Donizetti's considerable musical contribution to the city was overlooked. Preference was given to a lesser composer, Saverio Mercadante, chiefly because he was a native Neapolitan. After his brief stint in Paris, Donizetti turned toward the Austrian state, where he became music director of the imperial theaters. Two of his final works had their premiere at Vienna's principal venue, the Kärntnertortheater: Linda di Chamounix (1842) and Maria di Rohan (1843). After the success of Linda, he was appointed Composer to the Austrian Court, a position Mozart had held a half century before.
    

By 1845, symptoms of his illness had become incapacitating, and his erratic behavior could no longer be excused by overwork. With his family's intervention Donizetti was placed in a French sanitarium at Ivry for 17 months, then transferred to a Paris apartment. There he was regularly visited by musicians and colleagues, including Verdi, but by this point he was paralyzed, disoriented and rarely spoke. In September 1847, friends arranged his return to Bergamo, where he passed his final days at the home of a wealthy patroness.

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Recommended Reading

William Ashbrook

Donizetti and His Operas.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982.

Charles Osbourne

The Bel Canto Operas.
Portland (Oregon): Amadeus Press, 1994.

Herbert Weinstock

Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris and Vienna ...
New York: Pantheon Books, 1963.

Antonia Fraser

Mary Queen of Scots.
New York: Dell Publishing, 1984.

Friedrich von Schiller

Five Plays – The Robbers, Passion and Politics, Don Carlos, Mary Stuart, Joan of Arc
London: Absolute Classics, 1988.

Recommended Listening

Naxos
Polverelli, Piscitelli, de Basio, Alberghini, Cassi, Lanza
Frizza, Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana ae Coro Lirico Marchigiano "V. Bellini"

Decca
Sutherland, Pavarotti, Tourangeau, Morris
Bonynge; Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna

Deutsche Grammophon
The Three Queens – Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, Roberto Devereux
Sill, Verrett, Lloyd, van Allan, Howell
Mackerras, Rudel, Ceccato; London Philharmonic Orchestra

To Learn More …

A class devoted to Mary Stuart will be held on Monday, January 10, 2011, from 7:00–9:00 p.m. at the Minnesota Opera Center. The discussion will be led by Minnesota Opera Head of Music, Mary Dibbern.