Gloriana

Gloriana is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Elizabeth and Essex by Lytton Strachey. The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera House, London in 1953 during the celebrations of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Gloriana was the name given by the 16th century poet Edmund Spenser to his character representing Queen Elizabeth I in his poem The Faerie Queene. It became the popular name given to Elizabeth I. It is recorded that the troops at Tilbury hailed her with cries of Gloriana, Gloriana, Gloriana, after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

The opera depicts the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex, and was composed for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen is said to have been disappointed by the opera, which presents the first Elizabeth as a sympathetic, but flawed, character motivated largely by vanity and desire. The premiere was one of Britten's few critical failures, and the opera was not included in the series of complete Decca recordings conducted by the composer. However, the work has been well-received in revivals since Britten's death.

A set of Courtly Dances from the opera is often performed separately as a concert piece.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, June 8, 1953 (Conductor: John Pritchard)
Queen Elizabeth I	Soprano	Joan Cross
Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex	Tenor	Peter Pears
Frances, Countess of Essex	Mezzo-soprano	Monica Sinclair
Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy	Baritone	Geraint Evans
Penelope (Lady Rich) sister to Essex	Soprano	Jennifer Vyvyan
Sir Robert Cecil Secretary of the Council	Baritone	Arnold Matters
Sir Walter Raleigh, Captain of the Guard	Bass	Frederick Dalberg
Henry Cuffe a satellite of Essex	Baritone	Ronald Lewis
A Lady-in-Waiting	Soprano	Adele Leigh
A Blind Ballad-Singer	Bass	Inia Te Wiata
The Recorder of Norwich	Bass	Michael Langdon
A Housewife	Mezzo-soprano	Edith Coates
The Spirit of the Masque	Tenor	William McAlpine
The Master of Ceremonies	Tenor	David Tree
The City Crier	Baritone	Rhydderch Davies
Time	Dancer	Desmond Doyle
Concord	Dancer	Svetlana Beriosova
Chorus: Citizens, Maids of Honour, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Household, Courtiers, Masquers, Old Men, Men and Boys of Essex's Following, Councillors
Dancers: Country Girls, Fisherman, Morris Dancers
Actors: Pages, Ballad-Singer's Runner, Phantom of Queen Elizabeth
Musicians on the stage: State trumpeters, Dance Orchestra, Pipe and Tabor, Gittern, Drummer

When the production toured in 1954 to Manchester and Birmingham, Joan Sutherland sang the role of Penelope.

Synopsis

Time: The late 16th century.

Place: England.

Act 1

Mountjoy wins a jousting tournament. Essex challenges him to a duel and is wounded. The queen scolds the men for their jealousy. Cecil informs the queen of an affair between Penelope and Mountjoy. Essex woos the queen on the lute, and gains permission to attack the Irish rebel Tyrone. The queen prays for strength.

Act 2

A masque is given in the queen's honor. Mountjoy and Penelope have a tryst in the garden. Essex denounces the queen for thwarting his military plans. The courtiers dance a set of five "Courtly Dances" during which dancers are thrown into the air by their partners. The ladies retire. To punish Lady Essex for wearing too fancy a dress, the queen wears it herself. Essex is appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland.

Act 3

Essex arranges a truce with Tyrone. He bursts into the queen's dressing room to give her the news. The queen is dressing, and orders his arrest for such insolence. He escapes and tries to raise an army against the queen. He is captured and condemned. Cecil believes the queen will pardon Essex. Penelope, Lady Essex, and Mountjoy all support the pardon, but this only stiffens the queen's resolve, and she signs his death warrant. The queen wants to be a wise ruler as she faces her own mortality.

References

• http://www.bhso.org.uk/britglor.htm
• http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/britten/gloriana.html
• Gloriana discography