''Henry VIII'' is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

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 Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño (, ; ; 17 January 160025 May 1681) was a Spanish dramatist, poet, writer and knight of the Order of Santiago. He is known as one of the most distinguished Baroque ...

Composition history

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 Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

, 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 William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...

(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.

Performance history

''Henry VIII'' was premiered on 5 March 1883 by the Paris Opera at the Palais Garnier in Paris. The choreography was by Louis Mérante, the costumes were designed by Eugène Lacoste, and the settings were by Antoine Lavastre and

Eugène Carpezat Eugène Louis Carpezat (Paris, 4 November 1833 – Paris, 26 February 1912) was an acclaimed French scenographer in the Belle Époque. Career Carpezat was the son of lemonade makers Claude François Carpezat and Jacqueline Caniou. After conside ...

(act 1),

Jean-Baptiste Lavastre Jean-Baptiste Lavastre (24 August 1839 – 24 April 1891) was a French landscape painter and scenic designer. Biography A student of Édouard Desplechin as soon as 1854 when he was only fifteen (and then his associate from 1864 to 1870), J ...

(act 2 and act 4, scene 2), and

Auguste Alfred Rubé Auguste Alfred Rubé (20 June 1817 – 13 April 1899) was a French painter. Biography Born in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, Rubé was an innovator in the field of theatrical set design. This "decorator of rare ingenuity", focused on a local ...

and

Philippe Chaperon Philippe Chaperon (2 February 1823 – 21 December 1906) was a French painter and scenic designer, particularly known for his work at the Paris Opera. He produced stage designs for the premieres of numerous 19th-century operas, including Verdi's ...

(act 3, scene 2, and act 4, scene 1).Wolff, Stéphane (1962). "Henry VIII", pp. 111–112, in ''L'Opéra au Palais Garnier (1875–1962)''. Paris: L'Entr'acte. . Paris: Slatkine (1983 reprint) The opera was revived in three acts on 19 July 1889 with the ballet organized by Joseph Hansen. A new production in the original four-act version, directed by Paul Stuart, premiered on 18 June 1909, with choreography by

Léo Staats Léo Staats (1877 - 1952) was a French dancer, choreographer and director. Life and career Léo Staats studied ballet with Francis Merante, a dancer at the Paris Opera, and reportedly made his debut in 1887. In 1908 he became Ballet Master at th ...

, costumes by Charles Bianchini, and sets by Carpezat, Marcel Jambon and Alexandre Bailly. ''Henry VIII'' remained in the repertoire of the Opéra until 1919. It was also seen at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...

, London, in 1889 with

Maurice Renaud Maurice Arnold Renaud (24 July 1861 – 16 October 1933) was a cultured French operatic baritone. He enjoyed an international reputation for the superlative quality of his singing and the brilliance of his acting. Early years Renaud was born ...

in the title role, Lina Pacary as Catherine d'Aragon, and Meyriane Héglon as Anne Boleyn. It was revived in 1991 at the Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne in a production by

Pierre Jourdan Pierre Jourdan (21 September 1932 – 16 August 2007) born Pierre Gendre in Cannes, was an actor and director. Honours * CableACE Awards, 1987 Filmography As director * 1968: ''Phèdre (film, 1968), Phèdre'' * 1972: ''Le Trouvère'' * 1972: '' ...

, with Philippe Rouillon as Henry VIII, as Catherine of Aragon and Lucile Vignon as Anne Boleyn. The production was made into a film. Performances were given at the

Liceu The Gran Teatre del Liceu (, English: Great Theatre of the Lyceum), known as ''El Liceu'', is an opera house in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Located in La Rambla, it is the oldest running theatre in Barcelona. Founded in 1837 at another ...

in Barcelona in 2002 where it was staged once again by Pierre Jourdan with

Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé i Folch or Folc (full name: María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch (, , ; (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), known simply as Montserrat Caballé, was a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano. She sang a wide v ...

as Catherine,

Simon Estes Simon Estes (born March 2, 1938) is an operatic bass-baritone of African-American descent who had a major international opera career beginning in the 1960s. He has sung at most of the world's major opera houses as well as in front of presiden ...

as Henry and Nomeda Kazlaus as Anne Boleyn, with José Collado conducting. The United States premiere was presented by Bel Canto Opera in New York City on 27 April 1974 with Jason Byce as Henry VIII, Francesca Lawton-Sherman as Queen Catherine, Katherine Basler as Anne Boleyn under the musical direction of Susan Peters. A concert performance was given at the

Bard College Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 1860, ...

Music Festival, Annandale-on-Hudson, on 20 August 2012, with Ellie Dehn as Catherine, Jason Howard as Henry, and Jennifer Holloway as Anne Boleyn.

Leon Botstein Leon Botstein (born December 14, 1946 in Zürich, Switzerland) is a Swiss-American conducting, conductor, educator, and scholar serving as the President of Bard College. Biography 1946–1975: Early life, education, and career Botstein was ...

conducted.

Roles

Recordings

* Philippe Rouillon (Henry), Michèle Command (Catherine), Lucile Vignon (Anne Boleyn), Alain Gabriel (Don Gómez), conducted by Alain Guingal. Le Chant du monde. 1991 (also available as a DVD, '' Kultur International Films'') * "Ô cruel souvenir!" (Catherine)

Véronique Gens Véronique Gens (born 19 April 1966) is a French operatic soprano. She has spent much of her career recording and performing Baroque music. Gens was born in Orléans, France, and studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, winning first prize at the ...

on ''Tragédiennes 3'',

Les Talens Lyriques The French musical ensemble Les Talens Lyriques was created in 1991 in Paris, France, by the harpsichordist and orchestral conductor Christophe Rousset. This instrumental and vocal formation derives its name from the subtitle of '' Les fêtes d'H� ...

Christophe Rousset Christophe Rousset (; born 12 April 1961) is a French harpsichordist and conductor, who specializes in the performance of Baroque music on period instruments. He is also a musicologist, particularly of opera and European music of the 17th and 1 ...

(2011, Virgin Classics) * Complete recording of 1883 version, 4 CDs – Michael Chioldi (Henry), Ellie Dehn (Catherine), Hilary Ginther (Anne Boleyn), Yeghishe Manucharya (Don Gómez), Gil Rose conducting the Odyssey Opera (2022, Odyssey Opera OO1005)

References

External links