Gloriana, Royal Opera House online
In dance and song, a spectacular celebration originally created for the coronation of the Queen that knits the 1950s with the reign of Elizabeth I
Dance and opera combine in Benjamin Britten's celebratory Gloriana. Photo: Clive Barda
Only six days into her reign, the young new Elizabeth II was honoured in an opera by the greatest living British composer, Benjamin Britten.
But his opera with dancing, Gloriana, was a slightly controversial celebration of monarchy. While staged with a 1950s backdrop, it focused somewhat unflatteringly on the reign of Elizabeth I, as the indomitable queen resisted the onset of the years.
The skilled composer wove the sounds of British modernity with the musical legacy of Tudor England, and the production at the Royal Opera House in 2013 is a spectacular pageant, being streamed during lockdown.
Susan Bullock sings a jealous Elizabeth I, with Toby Spence (left, in gold) as the Earl of Essex
The soprano Susan Bullock is the Tudor queen, ambitious and jealous. Tenor Toby Spence sings the Earl of Essex, with Mark Stone as Mountjoy.
Clive Bayley is a creepy Sir Walter Raleigh, Patricia Bardon is Essex's wife, Frances, whose beauty the queen envies, and listen out for the amazing bass Brindley Sherratt as the Blind Ballad Singer.
Paul Daniel conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House and Richard Jones directs. Sets by Ultz have something of the village harvest festival about them, with veg stacked high in colourful walls. Gloriana could hardly take audiences further from our lives today...
Gloriana is the latest addition to the Royal Opera Houses' From Our House to Your House season. Click here for previous dance and opera productions
But his opera with dancing, Gloriana, was a slightly controversial celebration of monarchy. While staged with a 1950s backdrop, it focused somewhat unflatteringly on the reign of Elizabeth I, as the indomitable queen resisted the onset of the years.
The skilled composer wove the sounds of British modernity with the musical legacy of Tudor England, and the production at the Royal Opera House in 2013 is a spectacular pageant, being streamed during lockdown.
Susan Bullock sings a jealous Elizabeth I, with Toby Spence (left, in gold) as the Earl of Essex
The soprano Susan Bullock is the Tudor queen, ambitious and jealous. Tenor Toby Spence sings the Earl of Essex, with Mark Stone as Mountjoy.
Clive Bayley is a creepy Sir Walter Raleigh, Patricia Bardon is Essex's wife, Frances, whose beauty the queen envies, and listen out for the amazing bass Brindley Sherratt as the Blind Ballad Singer.
Paul Daniel conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House and Richard Jones directs. Sets by Ultz have something of the village harvest festival about them, with veg stacked high in colourful walls. Gloriana could hardly take audiences further from our lives today...
Gloriana is the latest addition to the Royal Opera Houses' From Our House to Your House season. Click here for previous dance and opera productions
TRY CULTURE WHISPER
Receive free tickets & insider tips to unlock the best of London — direct to your inbox
| What | Gloriana, Royal Opera House online |
| Where | Online | MAP |
| When |
On 24 Apr 20, Available online for 30 days, free of charge |
| Price | £0 |
| Website | Click here for more information |