Queen Elizabeth I is approaching the end of her reign. Her affection for the impulsive Earl of Essex is tested when he grows increasingly ambitious. Should she listen to the guidance of her advisors or be swayed by emotion?

News and features

Political operas #1: Don Carlo, Simon Boccanegra and Gloriana 
From the terrors of the Spanish Inquisition to a troubled English queen, three iconic examples.
Opera Director Basil Coleman dies
Director staged world premieres of Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd and Gloriana at Covent Garden in the 1950s.
Watch: Kasper Holten on Gloriana
The Director of The Royal Opera on Richard Jones’s new production.
Cast Change: Jeremy Carpenter to sing role of Sir Robert Cecil in Gloriana
British baritone to replace Peter Coleman-Wright.

Background

Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana was commissioned by the Royal Opera House to mark the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. William Plomer drew on Lytton Strachey’s Elizabeth and Essex to create the libretto, which artfully combines modern and archaic forms of English. Britten’s score is similarly diverse: it mixes the sounds and manners of Tudor England – from lute songs to courtly dances – with the composer’s own distinctive style.

Moving from the pomp of state ceremony to the intimacy of the Queen’s private rooms, Gloriana depicts the public and private faces of the Virgin Queen, and the deterioration of her relationship with the impulsive Earl of Essex. Director Richard Jones is known at the Royal Opera House for his characterful interpretations of Il trittico, The Gambler and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.

Live cinema season

Gloriana

24 June 2013

Susan Bullock, Toby Spence and Kate Royal
Conductor: Paul Daniel

Thanks to

Co-production with Hamburg State Opera

Generous philanthropic support from

Britten-Pears Foundation, the Boltini Trust, and Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson

How to support the Royal Opera House

Running time

About 3 hours | including one interval

Language

Sung in English with surtitles

Please note

On 22 and 24 June there will be cameras filming in the auditorium

Credits

Director	Richard Jones
Designs	Ultz
Lighting design	Mimi Jordan Sherin
Choreography	Lucy Burge

Shop

Britten: Gloriana CD (Charles Mackerras)
£16.99

Gloriana

When to see it

Booking for 20 June 2013 - 6 July 2013 opens

Introduction

News and features

Political operas #1: Don Carlo, Simon Boccanegra and Gloriana

Opera Director Basil Coleman dies

Watch: Kasper Holten on Gloriana

Cast Change: Jeremy Carpenter to sing role of Sir Robert Cecil in Gloriana

Background