Maria Stuarda

Premiere on 20. December 2026

Composer Gaetano Donizetti. Libretto by Giuseppe Bardari.

Tragedia lirica in two acts (1835)

Recommended for ages 12 and up

In Italian. With surtitles in German and English. New Production.

Introductions (in German) take place one hour before the start of each performance (except on opening night) in the Capriccio-Saal. Seating is limited, duration approx. 20 minutes.

The premiere will be broadcast live on BR Klassik. Following the performance, the “Kritische Trio” will discuss the premiere live on BR Klassik. The discussion will be available to watch on Staatsoper.tv the following day.

>>> To the introductory matinee

To kick off the premiere, Königin(nen), a musical theater project by Lulu Obermayer, will take place in the foyer of the Nationaltheater.

Two queens, one irreconcilable conflict. Elizabeth I, Queen of England, and Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland. Elizabeth I, eponym of an entire era, was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. After her mother’s execution she was, however, considered a “bastard” and an illegitimate successor to the English throne. Little wonder then, that she treated Mary Stuart, the granddaughter of Henry VIII’s sister, with mistrust when she arrived in England, because Mary Stuart could, with some justification, also lay claim to the throne. After 18 years imprisoned in England, Mary Stuart was executed at Elizabeth’s behest in 1587. So sayeth history. Based on Schiller’s famous drama, in 1834 the young librettist Giuseppe Bardari wrote the libretto for a new opera by the prolific composer, Gaetano Donizetti. Donizetti’s opera, Maria Stuarda, recounts the regal story of power, mistrust and courage – enriched with unfulfilled amorous desires and a dramatic high point, the fictitious meeting of the two queens in the Act 1 finale, where Mary Stuart insults her adversary with the deathly invective, Vil bastarda!, “vile bastard”. The scene is considered one of the most original Donizetti had composed to date. Its music is as intoxicating as Mary’s prayer as the opera closes, with the notes accompanying her singing, both angelic and majestic. And yet, presumably because of its tragic finale, the work was abruptly forbidden by King Ferdinand II. Donizetti’s opera would finally celebrate its world premiere at Milan’s La Scala a year later in 1835.

Focusing on Elizabeth's doubts about her decision, in his staging director Francesco Micheli examines the English Queen's perspective of Mary's execution. How does Elizabeth look back at her decision with hindsight and more worldly wisdom? Director Francesco Micheli, Artistic Director of the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo from 2014 to 2024 and a tried and tested expert in all things Donizetti, has already staged Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Giulia Bruschi and Riccardo Mainetti, who, as a stage design duo, won the Ring Award international competition for stage direction and stage design in musical theatre together with their team in 2025, are the stage designers. Costume designer Alessio Rosati, video artist Matteo Castiglioni, light designer Alessandro Verazzi and guest dramaturge Alberto Mattioli complete the direction team. All will now work together for the first time in this arrangement.