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HENRY VIII (Saint-Saens) Brussels 2023
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: Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels, Belgium
- Recorded: May 16, 2023
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Lionel Lhote, Ed Lyon, Vincent Le Texier, Enguerrand de Hys, Werner van Mechelen, Jérôme Varnier, Marie-Adeline Henry, Nora Gubisch, Alexander Marev, Leander Carlier
- Conductor: Alain Altinoglu
- Orchestra: La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra
- Chorus: La Monnaie Chorus, La Monnaie Choral Academy
- Chorus Master: Stefano Visconti
- Choreographer: Ivo Bauchiero
- Stage Director: Olivier Py
- Stage Designer: Pierre-André Weitz
- Costume Designer: Pierre-André Weitz
- Lighting Designer: Bertrand Killy
Information about the Recording
- Published by: OperaVision
- Date Published: 2023
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: yessubs, ensubs, frsubs, othersubs
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
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.