Opéra au Cinéma - La Favorite

Donizetti’s La Favorite at the Bayerische Staatsoper presents a cast of outstanding bel canto singers: star mezzo-soprano Eli¯na Garanc?a as the seductive Le´onor de Guzman, Matthew Polenzani as her desperate lover Fernand, and Mariusz Kwiecien´ as King Alphonse.

Numerous myths surround the historical figure of Le´onore de Guzman, mistress of King Alfons XI of Castile, who becomes embroiled within an intrigue-laced political power play. Le´onore, whose love for the King is revealed to be a farce, flings herself upon the young Fernand, who, for her sake, has eschewed the life of a monk in Santiago de Compostela. Yet, he is unaware of her status as a mistress, thus allowing the pair to become victims of a conspiratorial trial of strength between church and state, which in the end denies the couple even the hope of a joint future after death.