La donna del lago (Screening) at Curzon Richmond

The ultimate bel canto cast is assembled for this important yet rarely performed masterpiece. Based on Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake, La donna del lago is the most fully Romantic of Rossini’s Italian operas. In Renaissance Scotland, King James V travels to the tribal Highlands, where he falls in love with Elena – the lady of the lake. Her father is fighting with the clans against the King’s rule and has promised Elena’s hand in marriage to a clan leader, Rodrigo. Meanwhile Elena herself is in love with the young romantic hero Malcolm. The plot inspired some truly galvanizing scenes, most memorably the stunning confrontation between the tenors Uberto (James V in disguise) and Rodrigo.