The lives of British monarchs from Alfred the Great to the Tudors and Stuarts held a special fascination for 19th century composers – none more so that Gaetano Donizetti who wrote seven operas involving English kings and queens. This is a live recording of the concert performances’ given at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in July 2002. The main reason for this recording was to capture the vivid and compelling portrayal of Elisabetta by the great Nelly Miricioiu. The vocal and dramatic demands of the role take the artist from Mozartean delicacy right to the edge of Puccinian Verismo.
This is definitely Nelly Miricioiu’s territory and as the defiant monarch she is in her element. But this is not just Miricioiu’s evening. Covent Garden gives us Roberto Frontali and Sonia Ganassi as Nottingham and his wife Sara, both in outstanding form, plus the excellent José Bros in the title role. Maurizio Benini guides the soloists, chorus and orchestra expertly through an exciting performance of one of Donizettis best scores.
