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It was with this opera, premiered in Milan in 1830, that Donizetti’s reputation as one of the leading opera composers of Europe was cemented. The premiere was quickly followed by performances in London, Paris, and in 1839, in New Orleans. Finally, Donizetti had a good libretto, though one that doesn’t let the facts of the real life of Anne Boleyn get in the way of the story! This recording which dates from 1973 using the uncut version of the opera has been at the top of the critics’ list of recommended versions since its release. The cast is very strong, and the supporting roles each have big-name singers. But the real star of this recording is Beverly Sills, closely followed by Shirley Verrett.

‘Sills puts heart and soul into the drama of what is, after all, a very strenuous role … Shirley Verrett is a superb Giovanna (Jane Seymour).’ Gramophone

Recorded in 1971.

‘Stuart Burrows … steals the vocal honours. Impassioned and youthful in sound, he produces a lovely lyrical legato in true Italian style but with intelligence and impeccable taste: this is his first Italian opera recording … Beverly Sills, as Mary Stuart, is in a class of her own. It is her technical prowess as a singer which stays in the mind rather than her characterisation of the unhappy queen.’ Gramophone

Donizetti’s take on the last few days in the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, was premiered in 1834, but under the title of Buondelmonte due to the censor having problems with the subject matter. Executing monarchs made many European governments very jittery in the first part of the 19th century, with the French Revolution still very fresh in the memory of most leaders. In the past 300 years Mary, Queen of Scots, and Charles I in Britain, Carl Gustav in Sweden, and Louis and Marie Antoinette in France had all been executed or murdered.

The libretto of Maria Stuarda is taken from a play by Schiller and adapted by Giuseppe Bardari. The action takes place in the Palace of Westminster and Fotheringay Castle in 1587. Maria (Mary) attempts to plead for a pardon from Elisabetta, her half sister. The two Queens meet, and in the course of the meeting, Maria is provoked to the extent that she can no longer contain her anger, and lashes out at Elisabetta. Her fate is sealed, and she prepares for death calmly, and prays for her friends before going to the scaffold. The original uncensored version was premiered with Maria Malibran in the title role in 1835. Strangely, the British premiere was given in 1966 in St Pancras Town Hall, and the US premiere took place two years earlier in New York.

'My entire relation to music is such that I always try to go to the limits' (Heinz Holliger)

The artistry of Holliger (b.1939) prompted Evelyn Rothwell (Lady Barbirolli) to call him 'The Paganini of the oboe' Holliger's mastery of the oboe ranges over a vast expanse of repertoire, from the baroque to contemporary -- Bach to Berio and Zelenka to Zimmermann. His style is notable for its flexibility, agility, integrity and ability to communicate convincingly across the wide range of repertoire he performs. Holliger has done much to champion the oboe music of composers such as Zelenka and Krommer, and has also had over 100 works composed for him by composers including Berio, Carter, Henze, Ligeti, Lutoslawski, Penderecki and Stockhausen.

This 10CD collection provides a superb showcase for his artistry, spanning nearly 250 years of repertoire from the well known to the obscure, and to every one of the works here his unique and phenomenal technique to makes the interpretation sound effortless and flawless.

Other information

- Extensive booklet notes on each work, and a biographical essay on Holliger

- 'This is an enchanting performance: I do not believe that among modern recordings there is a better' Gramophone, November 1985 (Mozart Oboe Quartet)