Donizetti tells the tragic fate of Henry VIII's unhappy second wife, who ends up under the executioner's axe, with unadorned clarity. And especially in the drawing of the title character, he succeeds in placing virtuoso vocal technique entirely at the service of highly romantic emotional expression.
Image gallery
KEY VISUAL Anna Bolena
- Conductor: Enrique Mazzola / Daniele Squeo (March);
- Production: David Alden;
- With Riccardo Fassi, Federica Lombardi, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya / Jana Kurucová, Padraic Rowan, René Barbera / Xabier Anduaga, Karis Tucker / Arianna Manganello a. o.
Anna Bolena
Since Shakespeare’s times the English crown has been an emblem of all things royal and kingly. And no monarchy has been more closely associated with tales of bloodshed, passion, infamy, renunciation and lust for power.
Few composers have rendered the pull exerted by the »Royals« on stage as effectively as Gaetano Donizetti in his »Tudor Trilogy«.
With the first part, ANNA BOLENA, the 33-year-old Donizetti emerged from the shadow of Rossini and used the art of bel canto to coin a new school of period opera. In this work of unadorned clarity he narrates the tragic destiny of the hapless second wife of Henry VIII, fated to die on the scaffold.
And in his portrayal of the title character in particular he manages to harness masterful singing proficiency in the service of a High Romantic expressivity.
Additional information
Tragedia lirica in two actsLibretto by Felice Romani after "Henri VIII" (1791) by Marie-Joseph de Chénier and "Anna Bolena" (1788) by Alessandro Pèpoli.First performed on 26 December 1830 at the Teatro Carcano in Milan.Premiere at Zurich Opera House on 5 December 2021Premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 15 December 2023
recommended from 15 years on
Pre-performance lecture (in German): 45 minutes prior to each performance
Participating artists
Enrique Mazzola (Musikalische Leitung)
David Alden (Inszenierung)
Gideon Davey (Bühne, Kostüme)
Elfried Roller (Licht)
Arturo Gama (Choreografie)
Jeremy Bines (Chöre)
Michael Küster (Dramaturgie)
Jörg Königsdorf (Dramaturgie)
Riccardo Fassi (Enrico VIII.)
Federica Lombardi (Anna Bolena)
Vasilisa Berzhanskaya (Giovanna Seymour)
Padraic Rowan (Lord Rochefort)
René Barbera (Lord Riccardo Percy)
Karis Tucker (Smeton)
Chance Jonas-O'Toole (Sir Hervey)
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Chöre)
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Orchester)
