Maria Stuarda - Live in HD (Blu-ray) - Met Opera

Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Conductor: Maurizio Benini
Director: David McVicar
Artists:
Joyce DiDonato
Elza van den Heever
Matthew Polenzani
Joshua Hopkins
Matthew Rose
Orchestra:  The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Label: Erato
Region: All Regions
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