Giovanna Gray

Giovanna Gray
Opera by Nicola Vaccai
Maria Malibran, who sang the title role at the opera's premiere
Librettist	Carlo Pepoli
Premiere	23 February 1836 (1836-02-23) La Scala, Milan

Giovanna Gray is a tragic opera (tragedia lirica) in three acts composed by Nicola Vaccai. The libretto by Carlo Pepoli is based on the last days of the English noblewoman Lady Jane Grey who was executed for treason in 1554. The opera premiered on 23 February 1836 at La Scala, Milan, with Maria Malibran in the title role. It was a failure at its premiere, and the work never entered the repertoire. Malibran's performances in Giovanna Gray were the last time she appeared on the stage of La Scala.

Giovanna Gray marked Vaccai's return to opera composing after a hiatus of almost 8 years. He composed it specifically for Maria Malibran who had often sung Romeo in his earlier opera (and his only major success), Giulietta e Romeo. As a vehicle for one of the reigning prima donnas of the day, the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey was an apt one and had been the inspiration for numerous plays, poems, and paintings. Donizetti had thought of using it when his opera Maria Stuarda ran into trouble with the censors in Naples and Milan. Vaccai's librettist, Carlo Pepoli, based the libretto on Nicholas Rowe's 1715 play The Tragedy of Lady Jane Grey. According to Jean Marsden, a scholar of Restoration and 18th century literature, Rowe's play typified the dramatic subgenre of "she-tragedy", plays which focus on "the suffering and death of a female protagonist, whose protracted 'distress' represents the tragedy's main action." Vaccai's operatic version was no exception. As the critic from Teatri, arti e letteratura noted, the climax of the second act and the entire third act rested entirely on the shoulders of Malibran.

Giovanna Gray premiered at La Scala on 23 February 1836 in a production with sets designed by Baldassarre Cavallotti and Domenico Menozzi and lavish costumes by Giovanni Mondini. The audience applauded Malibran's performance, if not the opera itself, although applause did break out briefly for Vaccai after the orchestral introduction and at the end of the opening chorus. Malibran herself had not been happy with the opera according to her lover, Charles de Bériot, in a letter written to Auguste de Louvois on the day before the premiere. The press reviews of the opening night were scathing.