HENRY VIII
Opéra en 4 actes et 6 tableaux
Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
Libretto : Léonce Détroyat & Armand Silvestre, after Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s "El cisma en Inglaterra"
First performance: Opéra de Paris, 5 March 1883
SETTING : England, during the reign of Henry VIII.
PLOT : Henry VIII (born 1491, reigned 1509, died 1547) wants to divorce Catherine of Aragon, daughter of the king of Spain, to marry Anne Boleyn. The pope refuses and excommunicates Henry. The king revolts against pontifical authority, convokes a Synod, makes the Archbishop of Canterbury nullify his marriage, and declares himself head of the Church of England. But as soon as he marries Anne, he begins to doubt her fidelity; he knows of a letter which she once wrote to Catherine to recommend a young Spaniard who was dear to her. This letter is still in Catherine’s possession; Henry tries to get the letter back from her, but Catherine, proud and noble, refuses to ruin her successor. All the king’s pleas are useless, and Catherine, broken by sorrow and illness, throws the letter into the fire. Exhausted by this effort, she dies. Henry’s bloody reign has only begun.
Acte I, scène 6
Anne Boleyn arrives at Henry’s court. She has difficulty in concealing her surprise at seeing Don Gomez, the Spanish ambassador, whom she had known in France and to whom she had plighted her love. Henry VIII officially appoints her Maid of Honour to Catherine of Aragon and gives her the title of Marchioness of Pembroke. Outside the Duke of Buckingham’s march to the scaffold passes by. In this, Anne sees a grim omen of her fate.
Henry VIII, roi d’Angleterre / King of England (baritone) : Philippe Rouillon
Catherine d’Aragon (soprano): Michèle Command
Anne de Boleyn (mezzo-soprano): Lucile Vignon
Don Gomez de Féria, ambassadeur d’Espagne / Spanish ambassador (tenor) : Alain Gabriel
Chœurs du Théâtre des Arts de Rouen
Conductor : Alain Guingal
Orchestre Lyrique Français
Compiègne, 1991
