Queen Anna is dead — long live Queen Anna!
The late royal lady is Anna Bolena in Donizetti’s 1830 opera, based on the final days of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII. The new monarch — ruling not over England but the Met — is Anna Netrebko, whose radiant performance at the company’s opening night Monday catapulted her to “prima donna assoluta”: undisputed superstar.
Already celebrated for her glamorous face and voice, the fiery Russian-born diva has developed into a great tragic performer. Her climactic, 30-minute mad scene set in the Tower of London ranged from despair to rage.
It’s music that demands everything in a diva’s arsenal, and Netrebko delivered, her ravishing soft high C’s and delicate trills contrasting with slashing coloratura plummeting through the full soprano register.
In the last moments, her voice easily soared over the full chorus and orchestra as Anna marched off to her execution.
Her solo curtain call won a standing ovation from a capacity crowd filled with A-listers, Henry Kissinger and Tyra Banks among them.
Another 5,000 opera buffs followed the opera, a Met premiere, on jumbo screens in Lincoln Center Plaza and Times Square.
With the exception of Netrebko’s luminous turn, the three-hour-plus performance lacked luster. As the queen’s rival, Jane Seymour, the fine singer Ekaterina Gubanova was miscast, her strong mezzo turning brassy. Ildar Abdrazakov’s menacing physical presence was just right for Henry VIII, though his bass-baritone lacked gravitas.
Tenor Stephen Costello sounded fresh and virile on all but the highest notes as Anne’s ex, Percy, but acted as romantic as a whipped puppy. In the supporting male role of court musician Smeaton, Tamara Mumford unfurled a warm, wide-ranging contralto.
“Anna Bolena” is a very serious opera indeed, without even a jolly chorus or two to break the tragic mood. David McVicar’s production doubled down on gloom by setting the action in a stark chamber of putty-colored brick walls and massive exposed beams — Westminster Palace looked like a low-budget loft renovation.
Even more disappointing was the conducting. In this season opener, Marco Armiliato plodded through a heavy, monotonous reading that seemed to go on forever.
After this triumphant coronation, it’s up to the Met to match the standard set by Anna Netrebko. A queen deserves no less.