The new season at the Metropolitan Opera will be opened by Russian opera diva Anna Netrebko in the role of an ill-fated English queen.

      Anna Netrbko, one of the greatest living soprano singers, will be singing the part of Anna Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, who was executed on her husband's order on suspicion of adultery after three years of marriage. The Gaetano Donizetti’s opera "Anna Boleyn" narrates the last days of the English queen condemned to death.

        The famous duet "Sul suo capo aggravi un Dio", between Anne and Jane Seymour – who as Henry VIII’s third wife held the title of King’s consort – is considered one of the finest in the operatic repertoire. Russian Mariinsky Theatre's mezzo-soprano soloist Ekaterina Gubanova is casted for Jane Seymour and Russian famous bass singer Ildar Abdrazakov is casted for Henry VIII. Anna Netrebko has already made her debut in the title role in the "Anna Boleyn" opera at the stage of the Vienna State Opera, and her perfomance was praised by critics.

      The premiere of the opera is scheduled for September 26. Meanwhile, Netrebko is also getting ready for her next title role at the Metropolitan where she is set to appear in the French comic opera Manon, by Jules Massenet, next March.

      Anna Netrebko lives in Vienna, New York and St. Petersburg, rarely finding time to give concerts in Russia. Her shows are booked months in advance and her worldwide popularity has turned her into a superstar worth of the TIME 100 list. 

Sources: ITAR-TASS Russia Today

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