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FULL HENRY VIII (Saint-Saens) Annandale-on-Hudson NY 2023 Harold Wilson, Josh Lovell, Alfred Walker, Amanda Woodbury, Lindsay Ammann
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: Henry VIII
- Composer: Saint-Saens Camille
- Libretto: Pierre-Leonce Detroyat, Paul-Armand Silvestre Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
- Recorded: July 26 & 29, 2023
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Harold Wilson, Josh Lovell, Alfred Walker, Rodell Rosel, Amanda Woodbury, Lindsay Ammann, Alaysha Fox, Christian Zaremba, Kevin Thompson, Aaron Blake
- Conductor: Leon Botstein
- Orchestra: American Symphony Orchestra
- Chorus: Bard Festival Chorale
- Chorus Master: James Bagwell
- Stage Director: Jean-Romain Vesperini
- Stage Designer: Bruno de Lavenère
- Costume Designer: Alain Blanchot
- Lighting Designer: Christophe Chaupin
Information about the Recording
- Published by: Fisher Center, Bard College
- Date Published: 2023
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: yessubs, ensubs
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
Program Leaflet
Henry VIII is an opera in four acts by Camille Saint-Saëns, from a libretto by Léonce Détroyat and Armand Silvestre, based on El cisma en Inglaterra (The Schism in England) (1627) by Pedro Calderón de la Barca.
The action covers the period in Henry VIII’s life when the king was attempting to divorce Queen Catherine of Aragon in favour of marrying Anne Boleyn, a move rejected by the Church.
In an effort to evoke the historical context, Saint-Saëns researched English music from the period and incorporated several English, Scottish, and Irish folk melodies into his score, as well as two airs by William Byrd (c. 1540–1623), contained in The Will Forster Virginal Book (1624), the “Carman’s Whistle” and a section of a tune called “The New Medley”. He also sampled from the Benjamin Cosyn’s Virginal Book (1620), using the opening from the tune “Mr Beauins Service”, along with “Te Deum”. Henry VIII died in 1547, about 70 years before these compositions were published.