Anna Bolena at the Teatro San Carlo

Annalisa Stroppa sings as
Giovanna di Seymour in Anna Bolena

Teatro di San Carlo, Naples
from 8 to 17 June

Following her personal success singing the leading role in the opera La Favorite (in November 2022 at the Donizetti Opera and March 2023 at the Bordeaux Opera House), mezzosoprano Annalisa Stroppa from Brescia takes on another great Donizetti role. She is eagerly awaited as Giovanna di Seymour in Anna Bolena to be staged at the Teatro di San Carlo for five performances (8, 11, 14 and 17 June). Annalisa Stroppa is delighted to be back in Naples where she has sung as Dorina in Il Marito disperato, La Muse and Nicklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffman, Adalgisa in Norma and Carmen in Seven deaths of Maria Callas.

Conducted by Maestro Riccardo Frizza at the helm of the Orchestra and the Chorus prepared by José Luis Basso, Anna Bolena is a co-production by the Teatro di San Carlo, the Dutch National Opera and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia, with stage direction by Jetske Mijnssen, stage sets by Ben Baur, costumes by Klaus Bruns, and choreography by Lillian Stillwell. Annalisa Stroppa will share the stage with Maria Agresta (Anna Bolena), Alexander Vinogradov (Enrico VIII), René Barbera (Lord Riccardo Percy), Nicolò Donini (Lord Rochefort) and Caterina Piva (Smeton).

“I love Donizetti and his Belcanto compositions very much”, says the mezzosoprano. “Giovanna di Seymour was my first Donizetti role, so that’s another reason why it has a special place in my repertoire. It’s extremely challenging, both from a vocal and an interpretative perspective. Vocally, it requires a mezzosoprano who can reach the acute notes, but who also has dramatic inflections. The main difficulty is to handle this tessitura while preserving the substance and timbre of a mezzosoprano. From an interpretative perspective, I find this role fascinating and full of nuances. Giovanna, Anna’s lady in waiting, is the King’s new “favourite”. I’m struck by the fact that the female figure is never banal in Donizetti. The composer understands women’s most intimate, most profound feelings. He digs deep down into the human soul and interprets its emotions and fragility perfectly. What I find interesting is that the two protagonists are characterised by two different vocal timbres: that of the soprano and that of the mezzosoprano, which help us to draw a sharper distinction between the two women, each offsetting the other. One of the most amazing aspects of my work is having the chance to impress a different, personal mark on the roles we perform, making them our own. My interpretation of Giovanna seeks to bring out her human qualities rather than her manipulative, treacherous side: I like to portray Giovanna Seymour as a woman who was truly in love with Enrico. Not content to be one of his many lovers, she wanted her relationship with the King, and consequently her regality, to be officially recognised, but was at the same time sincerely distressed for Anna Bolena. Giovanna makes her choice, following her ambition and her feelings, while attempting unsuccessfully to save the Queen’s life. When, at the end, she implores and gains Anna’s forgiveness, the two women reach a theatrical and musical pinnacle that has few equals in opera”.