Anna Bolena

Anna Bolena Met Opera HD Live

The Met wows us again in a spectacular performance. I was thrilled from the first note of the orchestra and loved every minute of this spectacular performance.
Anna Netrebko was the star in her performance of Anne Boleyn, the doomed wife of King Henry. Her voice is superb and as an actor she was flawless.
In fact every performer was first rate. The sets were minimal and it allowed your attention to fully focus on the performance.
The music by Donizetti was splendid and the chorus was at its best.
It is an emotional story. I found myself rooting for Anne Boleyn throughout hoping there would be a different ending.
Her former lover, Percy was brilliantly sung by Stephen Costello.
I always enjoy the interviews during the intermission. The costume designer explained her historic research to make the costumes authentic. Stars in the performance are interviewed.
It is amazing to get a first hand look behind the scenes. Those paying high prices in New York do not have some of the advantages of the film production.
I purchase tickets for the whole series at one time. You can opt to buy for a single performance or for several. Most operas are probably sold out by this time. Try to plan ahead. There is always an encore production. If you have never been you owe it to yourself to have this amazing experience. The best of the Metropolitan Opera Company is transferred live by satellite. Over 30 countries around the world watch the same performance at the same time. In my opinion it is the best value for a cultural experience.
I’m actually upset that I am missing the next two operas because of a wedding in Israel. Shame on me. I will try to see the encore productions.
This was one of the better operas. I am still haunted by the dramatic ending as Anne Boleyn goes forward to meet her executioner. It doesn’t get much more dramatic than that.