Maria Stuarda coming to DVD

So its finally coming after months of waiting. Erato has finally announced that it will release the acclaimed production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda. The release comes as no surprise as the company has been consistent in release Joyce Didonato's performances from all over the world including the Met.  This production was one of the highlights of last years season and it also stars Matthew Polenzani and Elza Van Den Heever. Maurizio Benini conducted David McVicar's production.  

The 2013 HD Awards

The following are Salazar Family Circle's awards for best HD performances for the 2012-2013 Metropolitan Opera Season. Those who have followed our blog may recall that this blog started with the 2010-2011 awards and continued last year. For this year's edition we have added a few categories and previously announced the nominees in an older blog post. The past year has been filled with great performances from many of the top singers, rising stars and conductors in the world. The following are the nominees and the winners for my Third annual HD Awards at the MET 

Met Opera Review: McVicar Fails in his Second Outing while Didonato Triumphs in Maria Stuarda

By Francisco Salazar

(For the January 4th 2013 performance)

After 200 years in the repertoire, the Met has finally decided to premiere Donizetti's Tudor triology. The Met had originally tapped diva Anna Netrebko to sing all three operas but Netrebko decided on only singing Anna Bolena. David McVicar was hired for the proceedings and Joyce Didonato was tapped for the second of the trilogy Maria Stuarda. 

Last year McVicar directed Anna Bolena and received mixed reviews for his dull sets and his lack of clarity in direction. McVicar promised a more romantic approach to his followup production but proved to be even less convincing. The opera has a red curtain of a painting with a lion and a chicken ( or a rooster) representing the power struggle between Stuarda and Elizabeth. It is a good setup if only I understood whether it was a chicken, a turkey or a rooster. McVicar's opening scene seemed to be theatrical incorporating dance as a celebration to Queen Elizabeth's recent engagement. The set is made up of a big red arch similar to Anna Bolena's red bed and a big table/stage. However once the chorus and the dancer's leave the staging becomes stale with absolutely nothing to look at. Leicester sings his aria standing around and then Elizabeth and Leicester confront each other but again they are simply stand around. I don't fault McVicar completely as it is hard to stage Bel Canto Opera but the problem is that this happens throughout the evening. The two opening scenes while well sung did not do enough to engage the audience in the opera and one only waited impatiently for Didonato playing Maria Stuarda to get on the stage.

Maria Stuarda opens Tomorrow

The Met opens its first production of Maria Stuarda on New Year's Eve starring Joyce Didonato. Matthew Polenzani and Elza Van Den Heever also star with Maurizio Benini in the podium. David McVicar directs the second Tudor opera. 

For more information on Maria Stuarda click here 

For more information on Joyce Didonato read our The Enchanted Island review.

For more information on Matthew Polenzani read our L'Elisir d'Amore review. 

Maria Stuarda Preview 2012-2013

Joyce Didonato sings the towering role of Maria Stuarda in David McVicar's new production. Elza Van Den Heever and Matthew Polenzani also star.  

The Production

After directing the opening night of last season in Anna Bolena, David McVicar continues the Tudor trilogy with Maria Stuarda. The director which took Bolena literally has stated in interviews that he plans on taking some liberties with Stuarda. He stated that he wants to blend both fantasy and realism. He stated that his set designer john Macfarlane will bring painterly perspective to the sets. For example the writings on the wall of Act Three will represent the letters that Maria Stuarda wrote while in prison. While Anna Bolena was unimpressive, Maria Stuarda is a more theatrical opera and could give David McVicar an opportunity to shine. The opera will be part of the Met's HD performances.

Polenzani opens the New Year in Maria Stuarda

The Met has just announced that Francesco Meli will no longer sing the role of Leicester in Maria Stuarda. Matthew Polenzani who just opened the season in L'Elisir d'Amore will take over every single performance joining Joyce Didonato.

Official press center: “Matthew Polenzani will sing the role of Leicester in all performances of the Met’s new production of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda this season, replacing Francesco Meli, who has withdrawn the role from his repertoire.”