Anna Bolena at Sydney Opera House

Anna Bolena at Sydney Opera House

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Posted 2019-07-12 by Jasmine Crittendenfollow

Tue 02 Jul 2019 - Fri 26 Jul 2019



Henry VIII, who ruled England from 1509 until 1547, wasn't just famous for having six wives. He was also famous for ordering the beheading of two of them. The first, Anne Boleyn, is the subject of an opera by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti, which premiered in 1830 at Teatro Carcano, Milano. It's now showing at Sydney Opera House , under the direction of Davide Livermore.



Setting the scene is a dozen towering LED screens, each 12 metres high. During the overture, black-and-white photographs of London display the city's mix of contemporary and centuries-old architecture, while girls dance whimsically around a single rose. Anna Bolena's plot might be based on 16th century events, but this production's aesthetic is more surreal than time-specific, in the hands of Italian design collective Giò Forma .



Settings – from the royal court to the Queen's bedroom – are suggested through texture, moody lighting (by John Rayment) and moving images, including beetles, birds and butterflies. Mariana Fracasso's costumes follow suit, paying homage to Tudor fashion, but flirting with punk and rock.



Crucial to the opera's success is an outstanding lead and Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho is just that in the titular role. Her powerful and extraordinarily agile, yet fragile, interpretation inspires a standing ovation. Meanwhile, Romanian mezzo soprano Carmen Topciu, who plays Anna's lady-in-waiting – and thief of her husband's heart – delivers a rich, commanding foil. New Zealand-born baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes handles Henry VIII with characteristic charisma and depth, and Australian mezzo soprano Anna Dowsley delights as Mark Smeaton, unrequited admirer of the Queen.



Livermore's Anna Bolena, while grounded in history, transforms its drama, characters and music into a timeless, dreamlike setting, where passion, power, jealousy and madness rule supreme.

#circular_quay
#classical_music
#opera
#city
#theatre
#july
!date 02/07/2019 -- 26/07/2019
%wnsydney
112422 - 2023-06-12 16:21:41

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