After accomplishing the feat of singing Donizetti's "Anna Bolena" Sondra Radvanovsky returned to the Metropolitan Opera for part two of Donizetti's Tudor trilogy - "Maria Stuarda."

Unlike "Anna Bolena," "Maria Stuarda lies a bit higher in the tessitura, though the night is much shorter for the leading lady. Stuarda is also not as complex a character as Anna and basically maintains a similar emotion throughout the opera. She is scared from the beginning of the opera as she does not want to confront Queen Elizabeth and she remains in fear until she is insulted. Only then during the famous confrontation scene does she finally find courage to face her fears. However, after this Stuarda becomes frail and in fear of dying. It can be a one dimensional character if there is not a compelling actress to give depth to the role.

Sondra Radvanovsky was up for the challenge as she entered the stage looking around the woods taking in her environment as if she had been captive for a long time. From her interactions with Anna and Leicester it was obvious that this was a frail Stuarda. Radvanovsky kept holding her hip as if in pain and she continued this physical gesture throughout the work increasingly becoming weaker. Only during the confrontation with Elizabeth did Radvanovsky's vulnerability turn to power and strength. While at the beginning she kneeled to Elizabeth, her Stuarda quickly rose and took center stage. She was the one with the authority and her stance as she said he words "Vil Bastarda" gave her all the control on the stage.

In the second act Radvanovsky's Stuarda returned to the weakened state. This was an older woman who continued to suffer from the same pain that was evident at the beginning. As she walked through the stage she hesitated in panic. Only at the end when she sang her "Ah! Se un giorno da queste ritorte" did her strength return as she walked up the stairs with triumph to the scaffold.

With Radvanovsky at the height of her acting powers, the soprano was also able to take on the challenging music that Donizetti wrote for the role. While it is not as low as "Anna Bolena," Stuarda is a challenging night as the character sings five consecutive arias and also has immensely long sustained notes. At the start of act two Radvanovsky started the aria "O nube che lieve per l'aria" a bit rocky with some unevenness in the opening lines. However, as the aria progressed she came into her own and sang each phrase with sublime pianissimi and beautifully held lines. Once she entered the cavatina "Nella Pace del mesto riposo" there was a desperate character the piece. The tempi kept the music propulsive emphasizing this Stuarda's fear of seeing the Queen.

In the confrontation scene, the most famous of this opera, Radvanovsky's took on another character. Her voice no longer had the vulnerable character. Instead there was a commanding touch and it obtained strength. Radvanovsky's Stuarda interrupted Elizabeth's "Trema" with a fierce "No" and she continued the parola scenica almost speaking the words. In the phrase "Meretrice indegna e Oscena" Radvanovsky interpolated the phrase to a high note which gave the insults even more power and weight; there was a sharp bite gained from the piercing high note. By the end of it Radvanovsky threw out the words "Vil Bastarda, dal tuo pie" with anger leading into the stretta "Va Prepari, Furente." Her final High D at the end of this was one of triumph as if Stuarda had won a fierce battle.

In the act three confession scene Radvanovsky stated teh aria "Quando di Luce rosea" with tranquility and as the piece continued there was an increasing peaceful quality to it. She sang with beautiful pianissimos extending into her upper register. But it was her delivery of the prayer that was the big highlight of this act. While Maria waits for her death she asks her friends to pray with her. In "Deh Tu di un'umile" Radvanovsky held out various notes for what seemed like an eternity. If ever there was a demonstration of the suspense and tension that can be created from the herculean athleticism of an opera singer, this was it. But she didn't just hold out the notes for incredibly long moments, she crescendoed over the chorus without taking a single breathe. This piece required no fancy high notes, but it was the embodiment of belcanto and virtuosity in the most seemingly simple of gestures.

In her final aria "Ah, se un giorno da queste ritorte" Radvanovsky's vulnerability was no longer present and instead her voice gave a compassionate tone. There was strength in her voice as she reassured both Leicester and Anna that she was going to a better place.

As Elizabeth, Elza van den Heever returned to a role she sang a few years ago and she proved herself more equipped for the part. As she did when the production opened a few years ago Van Den Heever retained the strange limping. This Elizabeth was somewhat deformed but she was a scary one who towered over anyone. Van Den Heever may have been playful when she first entered the scene, but this Elizabeth was one angry being that at one moment would scold Leicester and Stuarda without any restraint. However, Van Den Heever made sure to give this queen some vulnerability. In the duet with Leicester she slowly gives into him as she is about to kiss him. This is the one moment where one understands her weakness and what she is truly after. However, this quickly disappeared during the trio in Act three when she regained her aggressive character.

Donizetti beautifully depicts the contrasts between Stuarda and Elizabeth through the music. While Stuarda's music is lyrical and filled with sustained notes, Elizabeth's music is always aggressive with rhythmic passages. Van Den Heever was up to the challenge as her coloratura passages were sung with tremendous clarity. However, she gave the character weight in each of her musical passages particularly in her final trio where she commanded the stage and gave tremendous articulations to the difficult rhythms. During the confrontation scene when Elizabeth mocks Stuarda, Van Den Heever gave each note a jaggedness, her voice taking on a quieter, more insidious complexion. It was almost as if she was sneering at Stuarda as she hurled one insult after another. However, there was one point when Van Den Heever's command was over powered and quickly interrupted. By the stretta, during which Elizabeth arrests Stuarda, her "Guardie Ola" gave out that same vulnerability and it was obvious that this Elizabeth was both hurt but also seeking revenge.

As Leicester Celso Albelo was making his Met debut and he proved that he is a tenor to look out for. Leicester's music is filled with passion and there is almost innocence to his dreamy lyrical lines. Albelo sang with ardor, every legato line polished and even sweetened by his beautiful timbre. During his early aria in Act one, his voice peaked on a piannisimo high note, an ethereal note that hung sublimely in the air, capturing the thrill of Donizetti's music. Albelo's big lyric bright voice was a nice complement and counterpoint to the darker hues of the two sopranos, emphasizing Leicester's more idealistic character in contrast with the more grounded female protagonists. During the final scenes of the opera, when he comes to Maria's rescue, Albelo's flailing physicality expressed Leicester's helplessness rather poignantly, giving the drama one final tragic thrust. In other performances, this moment comes off as rather pathetic and even an empty attempt to add drama to an already expired plot (Maria Stuarda's fate has been sealed since the intermission and there is nothing anyone can really do to add suspense to the proceedings), but Albelo's commitment surfaced some sense of hope and desire in the moribund circumstances.

The cast was rounded out by Kwangchul Youn as Talbot and Patrick Carfizzi as Cecil. Both sang well and they did what they could with their small but important roles.

Riccardo Frizza conducted with energy and propulsion. Whereas some conductors prefer to add elasticity to the lines to allow the singers to expand the music, Frizza maintained the belcanto style. He emphasized the stacatti in Elizabeth's music while in Stuarda's, the winds were able to relish in their melodies while still maintaining the tempi. This approach kept the drama flowing along at a brisk pace, allowing the music to develop without being a distraction or impediment for the forward movement.

David McVicar's production remains a quandary. There is not much going on. While his "Anna Bolena" was definitely improved thanks in part to the new cast, the "Maria Stuarda" production remained a bit chaotic with most of the singers standing around and the chorus most of the time looking a bit lost. One of the most worrisome moments came at the end when Maria Stuarda is taking off her robe to reveal her red gown. At this moment it almost seemed liked the cast members were struggling to take the robe off on time for the production's final image. It was a bit clumsy and threatened to take away from the drama. Thankfully everything worked out fine, but not without taking the viewer out of the moment ever so slightly. The sets are undeniably uninspired in their look, especially in the third act which is all enshrouded in black with writings in the background that are rather incomprehensible. Still credit must be given to the director for how he and Radvanovsky were able to come up with a way to make Stuarda a tremendously rounded character.

In the end however, this revival of "Maria Stuarda" is a triumph. Radvanovsky continues to show why she is one of the great sopranos of our time and demonstrated that she is probably the only one at the moment who can truly give this music justice.

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