Gloriana, Op. 53, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History. The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera House, London, in 1953 during the celebrations of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Gloriana was the name given by the 16th-century poet Edmund Spenser to his character representing Queen Elizabeth I in his poem The Faerie Queene. It became the popular name given to Elizabeth I. It is recorded that the troops at Tilbury hailed her with cries of "Gloriana, Gloriana, Gloriana", after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.
| Librettist | William Plomer (Based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History.) |
| Date of composition | 1953 (September 1952 - 13 March 1953; revised in 1966) |
| Premiered | 1953, June 8th (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden) in London, United Kingdom |
| Dedicated to | 'This work is dedicated by gracious permission to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in honour of whose Coronation it was composed' |
| Type | Opera |
| Catalogue | BTC 1044 |
| Approx. duration | 148 minutes |
| Spoken language | English |
| Instruments |
Voice (Soprano)
- Queen Elizabeth I
Voice (Tenor) - Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex Voice (Mezzo-Soprano) - Frances, Countess of Essex Voice (Baritone) - Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy Voice (Soprano) - Penelope (Lady Rich) sister to Essex Voice (Baritone) - Sir Robert Cecil Secretary of the Council Voice (Bass) - Sir Walter Raleigh, Captain of the Guard Voice (Baritone) - Henry Cuffe a satellite of Essex Voice (Soprano) - A Lady-in-Waiting Voice (Bass) - A Blind Ballad-Singer Voice (Bass) - The Recorder of Norwich Voice (Mezzo-Soprano) - A Housewife Voice (Tenor) - The Spirit of the Masque Voice (Tenor) - The Master of Ceremonies Voice (Baritone) - The City Crier |
| Autotranslations beta |
Benjamin Britten: Gloriana, BTC 1044 Benjamin Britten: Gloriana, BTC 1044 Benjamin Britten: Gloriana, BTC 1044 |