On March 27, legendary soprano Edita Gruberova will perform in her final staged opera performance.

The Bayerische Staatsoper announced that Gruberova will sing her final Elisabetta in “Roberto Devereux” saying goodbye to staged opera. The soprano has been giving final performances throughout Europe as she prepares to retire altogether from singing. During the opening performance on March 17, 2019, the Munich opera director paid tribute to the 72-year-old diva.

Throughout the past five decades the soprano has dominated the Bel Canto repertoire with Elisabetta being one of her signature roles. With the Bayerische Staatsoper, she debuted in 1974 as the Queen of the Night and went on to perform numerous important roles with the company, including “Lucia di Lammermoor,” “Norma,” and “Lucrezia Borgia.”

She opened the current Bayerische Staatsoper production of “Roberto Devereux” in 2004 and went on to perform it numerous times. It was the role that she became associated with at the company, receiving 20-minute standing ovations.

Gruberova continues her farewell concerts this year in Austria and Germany and will continue to give masterclasses.

Here is her legendary performance of Elisabetta  from 2005 immortalized on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon.