Gloriana

(donnarighttwo)From its first performance in 1953, one of the events celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Gloriana sparked a storm of controversy. Critics wondered–very loudly–if this work was “fit” for the new queen. Instead of glorifying the myth of Elizabeth I in order to glorify the new queen, Britten and his librettist chose to focus on the “real story” of Elizabeth I’s moral conflict regarding her illicit love for the traitor Essex and the events leading to Essex’s execution. In spite of later successful performances, the opera remained in relative neglect–until this, its first (and only) recording, made nearly 40 years after the premiere. Finally, under Charles Mackerras’s flawless and commanding direction we can appreciate the work as one of Britten’s finest stage works. The excellent cast and sumptuous sound bring the pageantry, the intimacy, the skillfully drawn and detailed characters, and the richly hued orchestration to real life–too real for its original, obsessively dignified audience, but perfect for the opera house. –David Vernier