About the work
Melodramma in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, first performed on 6 July 1829 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. The opera was written as a celebratory piece for Queen Maria Isabella's name day and is based on Sir Walter Scott's novel "Kenilworth" (1821); the premiere, originally planned for May 1829, was postponed because Donizetti fell seriously ill.
Plot
The Earl of Leicester keeps his marriage to Amelia Robsart secret at the court of Elizabeth I, since the Queen herself favours him. During a royal visit to Leicester's castle at Kenilworth, his secret wife is exposed through an intrigue involving a poisoning attempt; in the end Elizabeth forgives the couple and recognises their marriage.
Cultural significance
With "Il castello di Kenilworth", Donizetti turned for the first time to English Tudor history, a subject he later deepened in "Anna Bolena", "Maria Stuarda" and "Roberto Devereux". Held in low regard even by the composer himself, the work was soon forgotten and was only rediscovered in 1977 by the label Opera Rara.