As a lifelong Tudor nerd, Donizetti’s Tudor Trilogy is something of a guilty pleasure. Sure, the characters, packaged into their bel canto types, may little resemble their historical counterparts, but damn, isn’t it fun to see the Virgin Queen spew out some coloratura?

It will be equally fun, I hope, to see Lisette Oropesa‘s saintly Maria Stuarda go toe-to-toe with Angela Meade‘s Elisabetta, inexplicably donned in her best Red Queen drag (as per the McVicar production), on the Met stage. And bass Adolfo Corrado, who impressed me in Parma, will be making his company debut as Talbot.

Most of all, I am excited to sing snatches of arias to my baby nephew, Graham, while his parents aren’t looking — gotta start them while they’re young! Though, I probably will start with Mozart.