Thursday, March 24, 2016
6:00 pm  Cocktail Reception
6:30 pm  Black-tie Dinner
8:00 pm  Performance

The final production of Sondra Radvanovsky’s historic season of Tudor queens opens with a gala premiere, featuring cocktails and dinner on the Mercedes T. Bass Grand Tier before the performance. Matthew Polenzani stars in the title role, leading a cast that also includes Elīna Garanča and Mariusz Kwiecien. Maurizio Benini conducts Sir David McVicar’s new production.

8 performances: March 24th,28th,31st.April 4th,8th,11th,16th (1pm. Live in Cinemas),19th.

Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky takes on the extraordinary challenge of singing all three of Donizetti’s Tudor queen operas in the course of a single season, a rare feat made famous by Beverly Sills—and not attempted on a New York stage since. In this climactic opera of the trilogy, she plays Queen Elizabeth I, forced to sign the death warrant of the nobleman she loves, Roberto Devereux. Tenor Matthew Polenzani is Devereux, and mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča and baritone Mariusz Kwiecien complete the principal quartet in the bel canto masterpiece, conducted by Donizetti specialist Maurizio Benini. As with the earlier Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda, the production is by Sir David McVicar, who with this staging completes an enormously ambitious directorial accomplishment.

Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund

The presentation of Donizetti’s three Tudor Queen operas this season is made possible through a generous grant from Daisy Soros, in memory of Paul Soros and Beverly Sills

Sondra Radvanovsky:

Director David McVicar on the Tudor Trilogy: