On 28th October 1837, Roberto Devereux, an opera in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, premiered at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples. This work, based on Jacques-François Ancelot’s tragedy Elisabeth d’Angleterre, was a resounding success. It marked the completion of Donizetti’s “Tudor Trilogy” and has remained a staple in the Donizetti repertoire from the 19th century to the present day. When I think about Donizetti’s personal struggles during the composition of Devereux, I get chills. Yet, as I study the opera, I find proof of the brilliance of this genius: during one of the darkest periods of his life, he crafted one of his most innovative works. We can never do enough to honour this extraordinary composer. I am thrilled to announce that this season I will conduct Roberto Devereux twice, and above all that I’m inaugurating Donizetti Opera 2024 on 15th November with this work. We have chosen the recent critical edition by Julia Lockhart, who has adhered closely to the version staged for the premiere in Naples. The plot of Roberto Devereux is relatively faithful to its literary source, which in turn drew on historical fact, though with considerable poetic licence, first and foremost the final abdication of Elisabetta, which never actually took place. Cammarano came up with a fast-moving libretto, to which Donizetti corresponded fittingly, seeking and finding an innovative dramatic succinctness, perfect for the sombre hue of a forecasted tragedy. It is clear why the audience at the premiere applauded and demanded that both composer and librettist take a curtain call. The staging of our Roberto Devereux in Bergamo is by the great Shakespearean director and artistic director of the Glyndebourne Festival, Stephen Langridge, and I will have at my disposal the Orchestra Donizetti Opera, the Coro dell’Accademia della Scala prepared by Salvo Sgrò, and an excellent cast of Belcanto specialists