ROBERTO DEVEREUX
Tragedia lirica in 3 atti
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848)
Libretto: Salvadore Cammarano, after François Ancelot’s ‘Elisabeth d’Angleterre’ (1829) and Jacques Lescéne des Maisons’ ‘Historie secrète des amours d’Elisabeth et du comte d’Essex’ (1787)
First performance: Teatro San Carlo, Naples, 29 October 1837
SETTING: England
PLOT: Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, returned from Ireland, is accused of treason. Both Elizabeth I and Sara, Duchess of Nottingham, love him. Elizabeth and the Duke of Nottingham discover that Essex and Sara love each other. Their jealousy leads to Devereux’s execution, and a distraught Elizabeth collapses.
No. 2 – Cavatina: ‘L’amor suo mi fe’ beata’
Elizabeth remembers her past love for Essex. She suspects that she has a rival, but intends to pardon him, because life without his love would be misery.
Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra / Queen of England (soprano): Beverly Sills
Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
London, 1969
