Product: Donizetti - Roberto Devereux / Rudel, Sills, Alexander, New York City Opera (1975)
Rating: 5.0
This Is What Opera Is All About: Long Live The Queen
This DVD, also available on VHS, was filmed in 1975 at the Wolf Trap Festival. Stars the incredible soprano Beverly Sills in the role of Queen Elizabeth I of England, tenor John Alexander as the title hero Roberto Devereux and bass baritone Richard Fredericks as the villainous Duke of Nottingham. The opera is a collector's treasure of opera and a must have for fans of the diva Beverly Sills. It is undoubtedly her greatest performance. She began to sing the role in 1969 and took the world by storm through the early 70's, impressive not only for her ability to sing so demanding a vocal role, but also singing all three Tudor Queen operas of Donizetti- Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda were the other two that preceed Roberto Devereux. In the mid 70's, the medium of television and film was beginning to reach the opera crowds. Joan Sutherland did it in the 80's and opera films such as the 1979 Don Giovanni starring Kiri Te Kenawa and Raigero Raimondi was becoming popular. Beverly's other opera films, taped performances for the Wolf Trap and for the New York City Opera include Jules Massenet's Manon, which is possibly her second best performance next to this. Also available is Donizetti's Daughter Of The Regiment sung in English, Rossini's Barber Of Seville and Verdi's La Traviata. All worth the purchase.The part of Queen Elizabeth in this opera is as vocally difficult to sing as Norma of Bellini's opera. Although the part calls for a dramatic, big voice, Sills proved to the world that a light instrument can be trained to dramatic heights. She is on fire as the Queen, all passion, from love in the aria "L'amor suo" to coloratura spectacular in "A Ritorno Qual Ti Spera". In Act 2, her soft romantic side fades as she discovers that Roberto Devereux, the object of her affection, loves another woman, Duchess Sara (sung by the mezzo soprano Susan Marsee in a superb performance). The Duke of Nottingham, previously a friend and loyal supporter of Robert Devereux, become jealous also when he learns of his romantic link with Sara, his arranged wife. He, together with the Queen and the entire court, conclude Act 2 with a fiery ensemble "Va La Morte" that totally brings the house down. Beverly Sills is at her strongest in this dramatic act, as she rages in majestic fury and orders his death sentence. In the last part, she regrets her rash decision and attempts to save him, but it's too late. Devereux is executed and Queen Elizabeth begins to die that very day, as she mourns and laments with bitterness the final arias.This is Beverly Sills at the height of her career. She earned a cover in Time magazine for this performance. She looks back and remembers the Golden Age that this was for singers like her. Currently, recordings of Beverly Sills which have long been LP albums are finally making it into the compact disc market. Available now are "Beverly Sills The Great Recordings", "The Art Of Beverly Sills " "Plaisir D'Amour" "Sillsiana" "Lucia Di Lammermoor" "La Traviata" "Manon" "Tales Of Hoffman" "Barber Of Seville" "Rigoletto" "L'Assedio Di Corinto" "Ballad Of Baby Doe" "La Fille Du Regiment" and the opera in which she sang Cleopatra which launched her career in '64-65 Handel's Julius Caesar. Check them out. You will fall for the voice of Beverly Sills.