On this CD:
1. Maria Stuarda, opera
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by English National Opera Orchestra
with Dame Janet Baker, Alan Opie, Rosalind Plowright, David Rendall
Conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Donizetti and his librettists took some liberties with English history. The great confrontation between Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth I, which is the focus of the opera's second act, never took place. And it's a pity, too. It's great theater and would've been great history. This recording, taken from four live performances in London in 1982 in which Janet Baker sang the title role, carries a huge wallop. Baker is a superb Mary: proud but injured, enraged and indignant, pious and noble. Rosalind Plowright, with a voice as acidic and wild as Baker's is not, is a cruel Elizabeth. She's implacable and jealous. Their showdown is magnificent. The English of David Rendall and Alan Opie is more understandable than that of the ladies, and the men both turn in fine performances. Charles Mackerras is a superb leader. The orchestra and chorus are at their best for him. The fact that these were live performances adds to the passion for all concerned. --Robert Levine
Donizetti - Mary Stuart / Dame Janet Baker · Plowright · Rendall · Tomlinson · Opie · ENO · Sir Charles Mackerras, Music, Gaetano Donizetti, Charles Mackerras, Janet Baker, Rosalind Plowright, English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus, David Rendall, John Tomlinson, Alan Opie, Classical, Classical Music, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta
Music Review:
Music Review
Michael Byron: Music of Nights Without Moon or Pearl
More Music from Ray [Limited Edition]
One By One (+ Bonus DVD) (Pal/Rc-Tbc)
Mambo Tango et Providence [Import]
Messiaen: Des Canyons aux Etoiles; Oiseaux Exotiques; Couleurs de la Cité Celeste