Gaetano Donizetti’s opera “Anna Bolena” will premiere in Seoul, bringing to theater goers here a bounty of intriguing stories associated with the history of the British monarchy. The stories involve King Henry VIII's womanizing and the enmity that grew between the royal ladies.

The opera, which will run from Nov. 27 to 29, is based on a true story that took place in the 16th century at the British royal court. It recounts the story of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, whose life ended in tragedy.

The king fell in love with Anne, a maid to his then wife Catherine, and married her. Like his prior wife, Anne gave birth to a daughter rather than the son that the king truly wanted. The king was famous for his womanizing and he continued to turn his eyes to other women. He flirted with Anne’s maid this time, Jane Seymour, who later became the king’s third wife. The king took Anne to trial on the false charge of infidelity as a way to get married to the new maid. Within 1,000 days of arriving at court, Anne was executed in the end.



The tragic story will be revived with heart-wrenching and doleful voices from two of the best sopranos on the scene these days, Park Ji-hyeon and Kang Hye-myeong. They will take turns playing the most unfortunate woman of British history.

“This performance will be brought to the stage for the first time, not only in Korea, but also in Asia,” said soprano Park. “The original version lasts about three hours and cutting it to two and a half hours, the story in this Seoul production will unfold quite dramatically.”

“The story will strike a chord with opera fans here for sure. The luxurious and flamboyant way of life enjoyed by the British court will come to life on the stage, too, which will surely entertain both their eyes and ears,” she said.

More information about the upcoming performances can be found at the link below.
http://bit.ly/1SHDiXn

By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Labella Opera
jiae5853@korea.kr