Donizetti: Anna Bolena Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Donizetti: Anna Bolena Blu-ray Movie Review

A cheery little opera about infidelity, subterfuge and decapitation.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 1, 2012

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-Saëns’ 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-Saëns, 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.

For those of you whose Italian isn’t all it should be, Anna Bolena is of course Anne Boleyn, the tragic second wife of Henry VIII whose brief reign of a thousand days (more or less) has been memorialized in several books, stage plays and films. Though Anne’s reign was brief, it was momentous, bringing to full flower Henry’s deviousness and no holds barred approach to securing a male heir, no matter what the costs. The great irony of Anne’s reign is that, brief as it was, it was Anne’s daughter Elizabeth who would define the post-Henry age and become one of the most iconic rulers of all time. (It’s somewhat interesting to note that Elizabeth’s conflict with Mary, Queen of Scots (also the subject of many books, plays and films) provided Donizetti with the source material for another one of his “Tudor trilogy,” Maria Stuarda.

One of the most interesting thing about Donizetti’s conception in Anna Bolena, courtesy of librettist Felice Romani, is just how despicable Henry VIII is. Portrayed in this production with a swagger and almost demented charisma by Ildebrando d’Arcangelo, Henry is a smooth talker (singer?), but he’s absolutely cold at his core, ruthlessly plotting his every move with the singular goal of producing a son who can “rightfully” assume the throne. Henry is already entangled with Jane Seymour (Elina Garanca) as the opera opens, and perhaps Anne (Anna Netrebko) already sees the writing on the wall but is in a state of denial. The plot, as they say, thickens when Henry decides the easiest way to dispatch Anne is to accuse of her adultery, and fate plays into his hands with two likely suspects.

It’s of course unfair to pillory a composer for being constrained by the tropes of his era, but the one thing that will probably strike most listeners to Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, albeit perhaps subliminally, is how relentlessly major it all is. Despite emotions rising to veritable boiling and/or breaking points, Donizetti unerringly casts almost all of his major arias in cheery major keys. Yes, occasionally we get things building up to a diminished chord hinting at a dominant seventh with a minor ninth, something composers have used to great effect to create emotional tension, but just as often as not Donizetti resolves to major rather than minor. As I noted in my review of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, the composer often seems like a refreshing sorbet in the usually high carb world of grand opera, and that lighter than air quality seems distinctly at odds with the roiling emotional world of Anna Bolena.

Still and all, this is a frequently immensely moving piece, especially as acted and sung by the star trio here. Netrebko makes for a surprisingly vulnerable Anne. Despite her zaftig countenance and stalwart physical presence, Netrebko manages to easily evoke both the heartbreak and the rage the role requires. Garanca matches her every step of the way, and their Sul suo capo aggravi un Dio is both an emotional and technical highlight of this performance. But it’s probably D’Arcangelo who walks away with this piece, as odd as it may sound. His lugubrious manner and overt sexuality are really commanding and make his Henry VIII less of a cartoon and more of a believable character, something not always easy to pull off considering the preconceived baggage the role brings with it.

This is a fairly spare physical production, with next to no set design to speak of, something which may seem at least a little at odds with the really opulent costumes. But the lack of finery surrounding these performers allows the audience to really focus on the exceptionally fine singing and acting that is fully on display here. It may be preternaturally “happy” in a major key way, but this Anna Bolena is a surprisingly emotional experience.

Donizetti: Anna Bolena Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Anna Bolena is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. Despite the lack of sumptuous scenery, this is an often eye popping visual experience if for no other reason than the incredibly finely rendered costumes, all of which pop beautifully on this Blu-ray. Though several of the costumes tend to be in grays or pale beiges, flashes of color, including some gorgeous blue on Netrebko's Anne, really offer some exceptional dimensionality and beautifully saturated hues. Close-ups reveal a wealth of fine detail (in fact eagle eyed viewers may notice a stray thread or two poking out from seams of some of the costumes). Best of all this presentation offers exceptional shadow detail and consistently rich black levels. Video director Brian Large does an excellent job with a number of different camera angles, including some great close-ups that seem to have been taken from on stage, that really help insert the viewer into the action.

Donizetti: Anna Bolena Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Anna Bolena features two lossless audio options in the original Italian language, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 surround mix and and LPCM 2.0 stereo fold down. Donizetti's musical palette is fairly light from a grand opera perspective, without the overwhelming orchestration that would become the norm later in the 19th century. Therefore, expectations must be set accordingly that this opera is not going to present the omnipresent bombast of works of the latter half of the century. Within those confines, these tracks offer stupendous fidelity and some really surprising dynamic range. There are occasional balance problems with the soloists, which seem to be relegated to their upstage positions. These are typically extremely transitory and last for only a syllable or two as they move about the stage. Otherwise, both of these tracks offer sterling reproduction and the 5.0 track has the added benefit of exceptional hall ambience from the Vienna Staatsoper.

Donizetti: Anna Bolena Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introductions by Elina Garanca:
• Act One (1080i; 1:36)
• Act Two (1080i; 1:27)

Donizetti: Anna Bolena Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Anna Bolena is a lyric tragedy of great impact, with larger than life characters who nonetheless come off as extremely "human" in this somewhat smaller scale "grand" opera. Donizetti's musical language here may bother some who (like me) can't quite get past all of the major key offerings in a piece that really feels more "minor." That said, this is about as a fine a production of this opera as I've seen, despite a rather minimalist scenic design. Netrebko reveals some unexpected emotional depths here and even her detractors may find themselves pleasantly surprised by her performance. The interplay between her Anne and Garanca's Jane Seymour is exceptionally well handled from both singing and acting standpoints, and D'Arcangelo is something of a revelation as the smarmy, oversexed King Henry VIII. This Blu-ray looks and sounds amazing for the most part, and this release comes Highly recommended.