Donizetti: Maria Stuarda – Met Opera Live in HD (Blu-ray) – Joyce DiDonato, Matthew Polenzani

Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Artists: Joyce DiDonato, Elza van den Heever, Matthew Polenzani, Joshua Hopkins, Matthew Rose, Maria Zifchak, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus
Conductor: Maurizio Benini
Director: David McVicar
Video Format: 1080i / 16:9
Audio Format: Stereo PCM 2.0 / Dolby Digital 5.1
Region: All Regions
Language: Italian
Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1
Studio: Erato
Release Date: December 4, 2015
Run Time: 157 minutes

The Metropolitan Opera premiered its first-ever staging of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda on New Year’s Eve 2012. This performance, which took place on January 19, 2013, was broadcast to cinemas around the world. Featuring mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in the title role, the cast also includes tenor Matthew Polenzani, and soprano Elza van den Heever, making her Met debut.

“To have brought this character to life at the Metropolitan Opera for the first time in its history is an incredible privilege,” said Joyce DiDonato. “It is a role that has been inhabited by the best of the best, each star singer bringing a completely different set of strengths to her treacherous phrases and her dramatic journey. To have had the chance to put my stamp on her with such a supportive team will, I’m certain, always remain a career highlight for me.”

“(DiDonato’s) performance will be pointed to as a model of singing in which all components of the art form: technique, sound, color, nuance, and diction come together in service to expression and eloquence.” – New York Times

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