Gloriana, Op. 53, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History. The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera House, London, in 1953 during the celebrations of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Gloriana was the name given by the 16th-century poet Edmund Spenser to his character representing Queen Elizabeth I in his poem The Faerie Queene. It became the popular name given to Elizabeth I. It is recorded that the troops at Tilbury hailed her with cries of "Gloriana, Gloriana, Gloriana", after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The opera depicts the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex, and was composed for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953.
| Librettist | William Plomer |
| Language | English |
| Premiere | 8 June 1953, Royal Opera House, London |
About Gloriana
Their first two albums Gloriana and A Thousand Miles Left Behind hit number 2 on the US Country charts.
Achievement of Gloriana
They won Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards in 2009.
Top Facts You Did Not Know About Gloriana
Operas by Benjamin Britten.. Operas set in London.. Opera world premieres at the Royal Opera House.. Operas set in England.. English-language operas.
