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Cast: A man between them balancing loyalty and lo
ve. And an impassioned insult - “Vile bastard” - that leads to the scaffold. The insult was so potent that the first performance of Donizetti’s lyrical tragedy was cancelled at the last minute in Naples through royal intervention. A toned-down revision went awry in Milan the following year when the great Maria Malibran chose to sing the original words. More than a century would pass before the work would finally make its way into the operatic mainstream. The INO production will be directed by Tom Creed with costumes created by designer Katie Davenport - featuring a massive red carpet dominating the set and costumes reflecting Vivienne Westwood, Union Jack Dresses and David Bowie. We speak to the two leads Tara Erraught (Maria Stuarda) and Anna Devin (Elisabetta) ahead of their performances. Amy Ní Fhearraigh (Elisabetta) - June 7 & 16. Irish soprano Amy Ní Fhearraigh is an alumna of the Irish National Opera Studio 2018/19 and is based in Hannover, Germany. She is under the tutelage of Dutch soprano Hanneke De Wit. Last year Amy saw great success in a variety of prevalent international competitions and was selected out of hundreds of applicants to participate in the final rounds of The Queen Sonja International Music Competition, The International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition and the Tenor Viñas Contest. Anna Devin (soprano) What is the allure of opera for you? When did you realise you were destined for a career in it? The music was the first thing that grabbed my attention in opera but as I saw more and learnt more about it, it was the fact it has all the possible elements of theatre in one, music, costumes, sets, language, text, lighting, and the amazing orchestra. I dreamed of being an opera singer from a young age, but I suppose it wasn’t until I got accepted into the opera course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London that I thought it might happen. Elisabetta is presented as a duelling queen opposite Maria Stuarda - how do you prepare for such a role? What is done in advance and what emerges from the dynamic realised in rehearsals? I have spent some time reading up on the queens and their situations, there is so much information and also so much up for interpretation about what you believe happened, particularly with Maria, that I really feel of all the roles I have done, I need to be in the rehearsal room to find the multiple layers of Elisabetta’s personality. I find the idea of having a set idea before you rehearse strange as the other singers/actors you interact with on stage bring their own energy that you need to work with to fully realise your character. Have you starred opposite Tara before? Have your pathways crossed? I have not starred opposite Tara, so it is going to be great fun to finally share a stage. We studied together at the RIAM in Dublin when we were at the beginning of our journeys. Both of us have developed our careers abroad so to do a production on home soil is extra special. My only concern is that we won’t be able to stop laughing as we found that rather tricky at our photo shoot. We all tend to associate the word ‘diva’ with opera? Can you attest to this or refute it? Interesting question, I think I have to attest it. Opera singing is like formula one singing, everything needs to be perfectly lined up to create the best possible sound to ride over an orchestra of up to 100 instruments without amplification. In all of the productions I have done I have never worked with someone you would call a ‘Diva’ in the traditional sense, most opera singers are friendly and very much team players. But I do believe a sense of divadom is necessary to step on stage and do our job. What are the fundamentals of a successful opera in your opinion? Most important are great singers, cast well in the roles so they can fully occupy the world that has been created on stage for them. The interpretations are best when drawn out of the artists by great directors, Barrie Kosky is amazing at this, whoever steps into the room, he uses their unique qualities as performers/people/artists to realise the characters. On a second note, it helps when the characters are dressed in costumes that suit them. Katie Davenport is bringing a modern sensibility to costume. How hands on are you with the component parts of a staging? It is rare that I get to see the costume before I go to my fitting, so I don’t often get much say in it, but I do find things are often up for discussion at the fittings if things don’t work for me. I have only done one production where the designer asked me to pick my own dress from a rail, it was really nice. What can a 21st century audience glean from a 19th century opera? In my opinion nothing has changed, humans are the same, the world has moved on and we have adapted, but fundamentally we are all driven by our feelings and failings, whether that be in love, career, politics or wealth. It is the job of the opera singers to make that clear to the audience so they come away understanding the dynamics of the story and the character’s journey. Are there other roles you have performed which you are drawing upon for this one? Elisabetta is definitely the most complicated character I will have played due to her status as Queen of England but even within this I believe she has two overriding driving forces, her love for Leceister and her sense of duty to the country. I have played so many roles that are driven by their love for someone, but the two that stand out to me, are Melissa in Amadigi because she is power hungry and in a love triangle, the other one is Cleopatra in Guilio Cesare, her political game is completely wrapped up and intertwined with the coupling with Cesare. If you could inspire one piece of advice to an aspiring soprano what would it be? Trust your gut instinct as you will always know what is best for your journey. annadevin.com Gemma Ní Bhriain (Anna) Born in Dublin, mezzo-soprano Gemma Ní Bhriain graduated in June 2014 with a BA in Music Performance from the Royal Irish Academy of Music where she studied with Dr. Veronica Dunne. After completing her degree, she was invited to become a member of the Atelier Lyrique Opera Studio at Opéra national de Paris. During her two seasons in Paris she debuted in five roles, including two world premieres. In 2016 she then went on to join, for a further two seasons, the International Opera Studio at Zurich Opera House. Over the past number of years, she also made her concert debuts at Théâtre de Champs-Elysées, Radio France, and solo recital debut at Amphithéâtre Bastille, Opéra national de Paris. In 2018 she made her company and role debut with Irish National Opera as Niklausse in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. Last year she performed in Linda Buckley’s Glaoch for INO’s 20 Shots of Opera. Arthur Espiritu (Leicester) Most recent and future projects of American tenor Arthur Espiritu include Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Oper Leipzig) and Alfredo in La Traviata (Theater Basel). Arthur Espiritu has sung with Théâtre des Champs-Élysée, Teatro Piccolo Milano, Santa Fe Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Royal Opera of Versailles, Brucknerhaus Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert hall, and many more. Giorgio Caoduro (Cecil) Giorgio Caoduro is one of the leading Italian baritones of his generation and one of the reigning Bel Canto singers of today. He has achieved stunning success in many of the most important opera houses, singing Figaro (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Dandini (La Cenerentola), Taddeo (L’Italiana in Algeri), Enrico/Belcore (Lucia di Lammermoor). He was Dulcamara (L’Elisir d’amore) under James Conlon at the Los Angeles Opera and appeared as Peter the Great in Il borgomastro di Saardam for the Festival Donizetti in Bergamo. Callum Thorpe (Talbot) British bass Callum Thorpe initially obtained a PhD in Immunology before focussing on his vocal studies at the Royal Academy of Music. From 2017 to 2021 he was a member of the solo ensemble at the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich where roles included Banco Macbeth, Pistola Falstaff, Il Re d’Egitto Aida, Colline La Bohème and Zuniga Carmen. Maria Stuarda is on in the Gaiety Theatre on Sunday June 5 (5pm), Tuesday June 7, Thursday June 9 and Saturday June 11 (7.30pm) before a tour of Cork, Wexford and Limerick. Tickets: €30-€85. Sung in Italian with English surtitles. Duration is approximately three hours including an interval. irishnationalopera.ie #INOMariaStuarda 55