When an opera is based on history it makes for a great reading opportunity. Before attending the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Maria Stuarda, I took three books out of the library: One about the Tudor monarchy, one about the English nobility of the time, and a biography of Mary Stewart.
I couldn’t put Mary Stewart’s biography down. The COC had the same idea, forming a book club in the run-up to opening night with weekly updates and club member commentary on their website. By opening night everyone was on the same page.
You’ve heard about the inbred, loony and barbaric European nobility of the 16th century. You’ve seen the movies and maybe the CBC mini-series (unless, like me, you don’t watch TV).
Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda has a touch of historical truth—definitely of the “stranger than” variety—but is mostly fiction. It is however an effective character sketch of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. Its most famous scene is a catfight between two women who, in reality, never met face to face.
The opera itself has an interesting history, having been banned twice. It debuted in 1834 to a post-Napoleon Europe. Decapitating monarchs was touchy subject matter, and queen-on-queen violence was not a good look for an already besmirched royal class. As a result the opera was banned in Naples and later Milan, remaining essentially unheard until 1958.
During the golden era of opera, when this work was written, the focus was not on the composer’s overarching narrative but on the voice and its powerful expressive capabilities. The music and plot are vehicles for the primacy of the voice. The notes sung paint a portrait of the characters’ emotions, each an opportunity for the singer to both show off technical skill and emote simultaneously.
