It's perhaps more than a bit ironic that the usually very reserved British have given the world one of the most patently operatic of all royals, the boisterous, scheming and ultimately tragic Henry VIII. What's also ironic is how few composers have availed themselves of the seemingly perfect opportunity to musicalize the machinations of the Tudor court for grand opera. In fact only a very few well known operas about Henry or tangentially tied to him are around, and none of them receive regular repertory performances. While both Camille Saint-Sa�ns' Henry VIII and Gaetano Donizetti's Anna Bolena receive at least sporadic productions now and then, neither has really infiltrated into the front rank of historical operas. That seems somewhat peculiar, considering the ripe dramatic possibilities of Henry's reign. (It should be noted that in a more popular context, a Broadway musical pairing the iconic Richard Rodgers with Fiddler on the Roof lyricist Sheldon Harnick about Henry's reign, titled Rex, was a spectacular flop a few decades ago). Of the two operas mentioned above, Donizetti's is by far the more regularly done, but it, like the Saint-Sa�ns, is perhaps hobbled, at least somewhat, by its composer's innate sunniness, something distinctly at odds with the dark doings of the court as Henry plotted to have one or another of his wives dealt with, often by death, and always with a precursor trip to some sort of imprisonment, whether that be in the Tower of London or some second class castle somewhere. Donizetti seems a particularly odd fit for material of this dramatic weight, and yet the composer actually returned to the Tudor court three times for various pieces, building a trinity of sorts that is still very well regarded despite a certain musical anachronism between cheery major tonalities and decidedly "minor" emotional import.



Track List

1. Opening 1:30
2. Sinfonia (Overture) 7:01

Act 1
3. Nè venne il Re? 2:50
4. Ella di me, sollecita 2:16
5. Si taciturna e mesta 2:30
6. Deh! non voler costringere 2:56
7. Come, innocente giovane 2:42
8. Legger potessi in me! Non v'ha sguardo (Anna, Smeton, Giovanna) 2:59
9. Oh! qual parlar fu il sono! 5:07
10. Tutta in voi la luce mia 4:19
11. Anna pure amor m'offria (Enrico, Giovanna) 2:48
12. Tu mi lasci? 3:46
13. Chi veggio? In Inghilterra, tu, mio Percy? 3:21
14. Da quel dì che, lei perduta 2:49
15. Ah! Così nei dì ridenti 2:13
16. Desta sì tosto 4:04
17. Io sentii sulla mia mano 3:32
18. Or che reso ai patrii lidi 1:30
19. Questo dì per noi spuntato 2:31
20. E'sgombro il loco 3:52
21. Ah! parea che per incanto 2:45
22. Cessa, cessa. Tropp'oltre vai 2:36
23. Anna! - Riccardo! (Percy, Anna) 3:15
24. S'ei t'abborre, io t'amo ancora 3:56
25. Ah! per pietà del mio spavento 4:23
26. Tace ognuno 2:22
27. In quegli sguardi impresso (Anna, Enrico, Percy, Giovanna, Smeaton, Rochefort) 4:09
28. In separato carcere 5:33

Act 2
29. Oh! dove mal ne andarono 5:07
30. O mie fedeli (Anna, Hervey, Coro) 2:21
31. Dio, che mi vedi in core 6:52
32. Sul suo capo aggravi un Dio (Anna, Giovanna) 3:07
33. Dal mio cor punita io sono (Giovanna, Anna) 2:42
34. Va, infelice 4:07
35. Ebben? Dinanzi ai giudici 4:23
36. Scostatevi ... il Re giunge 5:16
37. Ambo morrete, o perfidi 5:59
38. Al Consiglio sien tratti 2:00
39. Sposa a Percy 4:18
40. Per questa fiamma indomita 3:07
41. I Pari unanimi sciolsero 2:19
42. Ah! pensate che rivolti 2:58
43. Tu pur dannato a morte 2:08
44. Vivi tu, te ne scongiuro 4:03
45. Nel veder la tua costanza 2:18
46. Chi può vederla a ciglio asciutto 6:23
47. Piangete voi? 5:09
48. Al dolce guidami 5:32
49. Qual mesto suon? 4:32
50. Cielo, a'miei lunghi spasimi 4:02
51. Coppia iniqua, l'estrema vendetta 8:00
52. Applause & Credits 2:52

Total Playing Time: 3:13:10