Maria Stuarda is a searingly dramatic setting of Friedrich Schiller’s play about Mary, Queen of Scots, and her political and personal rivalry with Queen Elizabeth I of England. While based relatively closely on historical characters and events, the opera’s central scene is fictional: the highly emotional meeting of the queens that concludes the first act (originally invented by Schiller) never took place. It’s a dramatic device that brilliantly highlights the two women’s contrasting characters.

这是阿巴多在97年在意大利费拉拉公众剧院Teatro Comunale di Ferrara以半舞台化(semi stage)作的《唐乔万尼》演出。乐队居于舞台中心下陷区，舞台位于乐队四周，演员时常在乐队中穿行，和指挥有互动表演。此类“半舞台化”的尝试，加德纳另有一个出色的《魔笛》录像版本（阿姆斯特丹节日音乐厅 ）。阿巴多的《唐乔万尼》版本后来由DG录制成唱片，在97年发行，04年还出了SACD版本。录像版本只在电视上播出，没有商业发行过，也找不到剧照，暂时就用剧名主角的饰演者Simon Keenlyside在opera news的封面代替。