« Virgin Queen », seductress of men, a bastard child and mythical monarch, Elizabeth I, Queen of England (1533-1603)  has generated fascination in historians, poets, playwrights, painters and composers for several centuries. Gaetano Donizetti  dedicated no fewer than four operas to the Elizabethan period: Elisabetta al Castello di Kenilworth (1829), Anna Bolena (1830), Maria Stuarda (1834) and Robert Devereux (1837).

With Bastarda, Olivier Fredj, the stage director and creator of the project and Francesco Lanzilotta, the conductor, aim at melting this unofficial tetrology into an ambitious fresco over two evenings, relating the story of Elizabeth’s life.

Taking emblematic moments from these four operas, a new score will be composed for the benefit of a unique dramaturgy.

From a both historical and psychological perspective, the project will explore the complex figure of a woman of power torn between the Raison d’Etat and her most private feelings. The result is a six-hour long marathon, over two evening performances. ‘For better or for worse’ which tells of her childhood and accession to the throne and ‘Till Death do us Part’ which tells of her inevitable decline.

To succeed in this vast epic, Olivier Fredj  is surrounded by an exceptional cast, with, namely, Urs Schöneman for the lighting and scenography and Petra Reinhardt for the costumes.