London’s Royal Opera House will mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation with a new staging of Benjamin Britten’s opera Gloriana, which explores the relationship between the ageing Queen Elizabeth I and her favourite, the Earl of Essex.
The work, which was poorly received when it first appeared in 1953, will be directed by Richard Jones, the man behind Anna Nicole, the Royal Opera House’s controversial work about the life of celebrity Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith. The 2013 production will also mark the centenary of Britten’s birth in 1913.
Susan Bullock will sing the role of the Virgin Queen while Toby Spence will portray the hot-headed Essex, the opera house said as it announced the 2012/13 season. Among the other highlights will be Spanish tenor Placido Domingo in Guiseppe Verdi’s Nabucco. – (Reuters)