Synopsis

“We are NOT amused,” is the dour statement attributed to the matronly Queen Victoria in her later years, although some historians dispute she ever really said it.

But as a young woman, in her diary Queen Victoria did write, “I was VERY MUCH amused indeed!” after seeing the Italian opera singer Giulia Grisi on stage. The young Queen was a fan, and made a drawing of the singer in a role she created: that of Elvira in Vincenzo Bellini’s opera “I Puritani,” or “The Puritans,” which debuted in Paris on today’s date in 1835.

When Bellini’s brand-new opera came to London later that same year, with Grisi in the cast, the young Queen attended several performances, and the opera she called “Dear Puritani” became a life-long favorite, perhaps because it was the first she attended with her husband-to-be, the young Prince Albert.

The opera is set in 17th century England during the Civil War between Royalist supporters of the deposed King Charles I and Puritan rebels led by Oliver Cromwell. Its plot involves a Romeo and Juliet-like love story between a delicate Puritan soprano and a dashing Royalist tenor. Unlike Shakespeare’s tragedy, however, Bellini’s opera provides a happy ending for its politics-crossed lovers.

Music Played in Today's Program

Vincenzo Bellini (1801 – 1835) — Sinfonia (Overture), fr I Puritani (Philharmonia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, cond.) EMI 09149