Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) + Extras

The boldly original, dramatic intertwined story of Catherine de' Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots – three queens exercising power in a world dominated by men.

Lyrita are proud to present this re-issue of Mary, Queen of Scots to coincide with Thea Musgrave’s 90th Birthday celebrations. Mary has been a fascinating subject to work with. It was interesting and challenging to find a path through all the well-known facts about her life, in order to be able to envision her with fresh eyes and gradually to shape my own portrait of her. My interest in her as a subject was first aroused by a basic idea of Amalia Elguera, (who had written the libretto for my previous opera The Voice of Ariadne) and on whose play Moray the opera is based. Here the emphasis lies, as the title implies, on Mary’s half brother James Stewart. I soon decided that in the opera, although the chief protagonist would be James, the central character must be Mary herself.

Max Richter has written the new score for the historical film, MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. The movie opens in theaters December 7. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS is a retelling of the turbulent life of Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan), based on the book Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart by Dr. John Guy. Queen of France at 16, at 18 Mary is widowed, defies pressure to remarry and instead returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne.

Whether you've seen the recent movie starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie or the classic 1970's film starring Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson, this vibrant work of history will give you new insight into the life of Mary, Queen of Scots and her rivalry with Elizabeth I of England.