Opera
Bastarda
The life and times of queen Elizabeth I
Based on Donizetti’s Tudor operas
The Hardest Thing To Govern Is The Heart.— Elizabeth I Tudor
A bastard child who ascended the English throne, a 'Virgin Queen' who had numerous lovers, a muse, poet and musician: Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) continues to capture the imagination. With Bastarda, La Monnaie is now reviving the life and times of this enigmatic monarch in all their glory.
For two operatic evenings, you experience the intriguing, larger-than-life story of Elizabeth and her inner child through the musical highlights of Gaetano Donizetti's Tudor tetralogy (Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, Roberto Devereux and Elisabetta al Castello di Kenilworth). For two operatic evenings, the La Monnaie Theatre is transformed into the Tudor court of its 16th-century heyday with breathtaking costumes and historically informed props, with dance and video, with grand entrances and tragic exits. A unique total spectacle, which our workshops have been working on for years.
The two evenings stand alone and you can enjoy them separately without any problem.
Magazine
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OperaWho's who?
At Tudor Court
In preparation for Bastarda, we present the historical figures featured in this production. Learn about the Tudors and the members of their court from portraits of our cast taken at La Monnaie, accompanied by a short biography.
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OperaThere once was... Bastarda
Olivier Fredj
In Bastarda there is room for only one queen: the mythical Elizabeth I of England. Inspired by a childlike sense of wonder, director Olivier Fredj reshapes La Monnaie into the court of ‘The Virgin Queen’. In this interview, he reflects on his particular form of storytelling.
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OperaThe story of Bastarda
Second Evening: ‘... Till Death Do Us Part’
Challenged by the betrayal of her political enemies as well as her 'favourites', it is not just an older but also a more dangerous Queen Elizabeth I that we get to know in part two of Bastarda. Read the summary here.
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OperaThe story of Bastarda
First evening: ‘For Better, for Worse...’
The first part of Bastarda focuses on the life of young Elizabeth: from her childhood, marked by the tragic death of her mother Anne Boleyn, through her unexpected coronation to the ultimate confrontation with her cousin and rival Mary Stuart. Read the synopsis here.
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OperaThe Glamour and the Labour
The costumes for Bastarda
When creating an opera production, nothing is left to chance. Literally everything has to be thought through, every character, every movement, every note, every colour or detail. The dazzling costumes for Bastarda are the latest proof that such a creation process takes an enormous amount of time, care and deliberation. An interview with designer Petra Reinhardt and Regine Becker, head of the La Monnaie costume department.
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OperaThe face of Elizabeth
A comparative reflection on two iconic queens
The preparation of our production Bastarda, centred on the character of Elizabeth I, coincided with a renewed focus on the British monarchy, illustrated by series such as The Crown, Wolf Hall or The Tudors. The historic event of the death of Elizabeth II proved that many people today share the fascination that Gaetano Donizetti must have felt in his time for her predecessor and namesake Elizabeth I. In this article, we reflect on the obvious and not so obvious links between these two queens in history and popular culture.
Gallery
Cast
Conductor & Musical arrangementsFRANCESCO LANZILLOTTA Artistic concept, Script & DirectionOLIVIER FREDJ Adaptation & DialogueYANN APPERRY & OLIVIER FREDJ
Set design & LightingURS SCHÖNEBAUM CostumesPETRA REINHARDT VideoSARAH DERENDINGER ChoreographyAVSHALOM POLLAK Artistic collaborationCECILIA LIGORIO DramaturgyMARIE MERGEAY Chorus masterGIULIO MAGNANINI
ElisabettaMYRTÒ PAPATANASIU
FRANCESCA SASSU (21.3, 23.3, 1.4, 2.4) Anna BolenaSALOME JICIA LeicesterENEA SCALA EnricoLUCA TITTOTO Giovanna Seymour & SaraRAFFAELLA LUPINACCI Amy RobsartVALENTINA MASTRANGELO Maria StuardaLENNEKE RUITEN Roberto DevereuxSERGEY ROMANOVSKY NottinghamBRUNO TADDIA
SmetonDAVID HANSEN CecilGAVAN RING Elisabetta childNEHIR HASRET (21, 23.03 & 1, 2, 4, 6, 11, 13.04),
HADLEY DEAN RANDERSON (25, 28, 30.03 & 8, 15, 16.04)
La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra
La Monnaie Choral Academy, led by Benoît Giaux
ProductionLA MONNAIE With support fromNATIONAL LOTTERY
In co-production with Shelter Prod and Prospero MM Productions, with the support of Taxshelter.be and ING
With the support of the Belgian Federal Government's Tax Shelter
