Anne Boleyn by Donizetti, Sun 11 Nov 2018, From (2018/2018), Directed by Marie-Louise Bischofberger,, Conductor Paul Daniel, Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

The tragic destiny of Anne Boleyn (1500-1536), second wife of King Henry VIII of England, beheaded for misdeeds she had not committed, inspired Gaetano Donizetti and his brilliant librettist Felice Romani to create a conductor - a romantic work, a miracle of balance between the art of “bel canto” and the theatrical density of the characters. Its creation, in 1830 in Milan, was moreover a memorable success, even if Anna Bolena , of a formidable vocal requirement, was then relatively forgotten until Maria Callas revived her in 1957. After having triumphed in Norma at the Met and in Traviata in Paris, the Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka makes her debut in Bordeaux in the title role. The director Marie-Louise Bischofberger, wife and collaborator of the late Luc Bondy (whose appointed scenographer, Erich Wonder, we find), orchestrates this tragedy with absolute lyricism.