(''Mary Tudor, Queen of England'') is an Italian

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

in three acts, composed by Giovanni Pacini from a libretto by Leopoldo Tarantini, which was based on the 1833 play ''Marie Tudor'' by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

. It was given its first performance at the Teatro Carolino, in Palermo, on 11 February 1843.

Performance history

The opera was greeted with considerable acclaim at its creation. After a decade or so, it lost its popularity and disappeared from the stage until its revival by

Opera Rara Opera Rara is a London-based opera company and recording label which specialises in recording and performing forgotten operatic repertoire from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1970 by bel canto enthusiasts Patric Schmid and Don Whi ...

at the Bloomsbury Theatre in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

as part of the Camden Festival on 23 March 1983. Between March and May 2012, the opera was performed at the City Theater of Giessen in Germany. Odyssey Opera mounted a fully staged production on 1 and 3 November 2019 at the Huntington Theater in Boston.

Roles

Synopsis

:Place:

:Time: 1553. Mary I of England is infatuated with the Scottish adventurer Riccardo Fenimoore, whom she has ennobled as Lord Talbot, but he is unfaithful to her having seduced the foundling Clotilde, who is the only surviving child of the late Earl of Talbot. She has been raised and is now betrothed to the adoring Ernesto Malcolm, a commoner. Gualtiero Churchill, the Lord Chancellor, wants to protect the Queen by bringing Riccardo down, so he tells the Queen of Talbot's duplicity, and also reveals his knowledge that Clotilde is actually heir to the Talbot name. The Queen condemns Fenimoore to death but repents and orders Clotilde to help release him. However, to the dismay of the Queen, Churchill sees to it that the execution is carried out.

Recordings

References

Notes Sources *Balthazar, Scott L. (with Michael Rose) (1997), "Giovanni Pacini", in Sadie, Stanley (ed.), ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', New York: Grove (Oxford University Press), Vol. Three, pp. 808–812. * Commons, Jeremy, ''"Maria, regina d'Inghilterra"'', essay in the booklet accompanying the Opera Rara recording. *Rose, Michael (2001), "Giovanni Pacini" in Holden, Amanda, (Ed.) ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc. {{DEFAULTSORT:Maria, Regina D'inghilterra Italian-language operas Operas by Giovanni Pacini Operas Operas set in England Operas set in London Operas based on plays 1843 operas Operas based on works by Victor Hugo