Following on the heels of her overwhelming triumph as Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata at the Met last year, the star soprano Diana Damrau will now portray one of the leading roles in yet another massive work from the 19th century: Maria Stuarda, the Scottish queen who died a martyr's death. Performing the role of her iron-fisted rival, English queen Elisabetta I, will be Jamie Barton, an American mezzo-soprano whose marvellous voice stood out at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. Their shared scene in the second act is one of the most affecting and powerful climactic moments in the bel canto repertoire - and with this cast promises to be truly sensational. Singing the part of the Earl of Leicester, who smoulders with love for Maria while also usurping Elisabetta's own heart, will be the velvet-voiced Stephen Costello, over the course of four seasons a veteran of the tenor roles in all three of Donizetti's Tudor operas. In the role of the cruel advisor Cecil will be Andrzej Filończyk, an almost cheekily young Polish baritone whose career has been skyrocketing over the past two or three years, with Michele Pertusi, speaking Italian opera as his mother tongue, as Talbot
Italian maestro Maurizio Benini's conducting is full of 'spirit and finesse', as one critic described the conductor of this performance: widely respected as a true expert on bel canto opera, he considers Donizetti's music to be a matter close to his own heart. This work, rich in beautiful melodies and boiling drama, was staged by Sir David McVicar, the director who defines the Metropolitan Opera's artistic image, with an amazing visual world that is faithful to the spirit of the setting while incorporating both familiar and astonishingly novel solutions.

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