ANNA BOLENA

"Ms. Netrebko may be in her vocal prime. Her sound is meltingly rich yet focused. Sustained tones have body and depth."

New York Times

For the past several years, Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera’s general manager, has been positioning soprano Anna Netrebko as a house star. In 2011/12 the company mounted a new season-opening production, its first-ever “Anna Bolena”, especially for her. She portrays the ill-fated queen driven insane by her unfaithful king and sings one of opera’s greatest mad scenes. The duet "Sul suo capo aggravi un Dio" between her and her rival Jane Seymour (played by Ekaterina Gubanova) is considered one of the finest in the entire operatic repertoire. David McVicar’s staging conveys the opera’s darkly malevolent environment from the outset.

“Anna Bolena” is one of a number of operas by Donizetti which deal with the Tudor period in English history, including “Roberto Devereux” (named for a putative lover of Queen Elizabeth I of England) and “Maria Stuarda” (named for Mary, Queen of Scots). The two remaining operas of the so-called “three Tudor queens” trilogy are set to be directed by David McVicar in the future seasons.