Washington Concert Opera, which presents opera in concert form, opens its new season on December 4, 2022 with Roberto Devereux by Gaetano Donizetti, the final installment in his trilogy about English Tudor queens. The opera is loosely based on the 2nd Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux, an influential figure who served the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
Devereux was a favorite of the Queen, although she removes him from his office as Governor of Ireland for negotiating with Irish rebels without her consent. He faces trial for high treason, with punishment by death. The drama is heightened by a love triangle – Elizabeth loves Devereux, but grows increasing jealous and distraught by his love for the Duchess of Nottingham. The events occur toward the end of Elizabeth’s reign, as she grew increasingly tired of royal façade.
When Donizetti wrote Roberto Devereux in 1837, he had already enjoyed success with his two earlier Tudor Queen operas, Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda. In the interim, his dynamic masterpiece, Lucia di Lammermoor, firmly established him as a major opera composer, respected by his peers and popular with audiences. One of his admirers was the slightly-younger, up-and-coming Giuseppe Verdi. Roberto Devereux reflects these finely-honed skills of composition and dramaturgy. Its overture features the tune of “God Save the Queen”, the English National Anthem.
Why was Donizetti – an Italian who lived sporadically in Paris and Vienna – drawn to the Tudor period of English history, and specifically, the court of Queen Elizabeth I? In the 19th century, the peninsula of Italy was not yet unified into a single country; it consisted of a collection of separates states, some foreign- controlled. As a result, Italians became fascinated by English monarch history and associated literature. In fact, Donizetti’s first foray into the realm of English history was his opera, Il castello di Kenilworth, also set during the reign of Elizabeth I.
WCO's production of Roberto Devereux is Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, 6-9 p.m., at Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C. A pre-performance discussion of the opera by WCO co-founder Peter Russell is at 5:00 p.m. Artistic Director and Conductor, Antony Walker, will conduct the performance, with singers Roberta Mantegna as the Queen, in her U.S. debut; baritone Ricardo José Rivera; mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong; and American tenor Andrew Owens in the title role*. WCO performs opera in concert form; singers share the stage with the orchestra, without sets or costumes and with minimal acting – so the focus is truly on the music!
Details at www.concertopera.org.
* Andrew Owens replaces René Barbera, originally announced as Devereux for this production.
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