Odyssey Opera Releases the Debut Recording of the Complete Henry VIII Opera by Camille Saint-Saëns

Camille Saint-Saëns: Henry VIII

Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

Librettists: Léonce Détroyat and
Armand Silvestre
Conductor/Producer: Gil Rose

Release Date: April 26, 2022
Work: Henry VIII (1883)
Disc One: Act I (46:08)

Disc Two: Act II (77:38)

Disc Three: Act III (58:14)

Disc Four: Act IV (42:01)
Performers: baritone Michael Chioldi (Henry VIII), soprano Ellie Dehn (Catherine d’Aragon), mezzo-soprano Hilary Ginther (Anne Boleyn), tenor Yeghishe Manucharyan (Don Gomez de Feria), baritone David Kravitz (Le Duc de Norfolk), bass-baritone Kevin Deas (Cardinal Campeggio), tenor Matthew DiBattista (Le Comte de Surrey), bass-baritone David Cushing (Archbishop of Canterbury), soprano Erin Merceruio Nelson (Lady Clarence), tenor Jeremy Ayres Fisher (The Garter King of Arms), and Odyssey Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Purchase: OdysseyOpera.org

Boston, MA (For Release 04.26.22) — Hailed by The New York Times as “one of the nation’s most intriguing opera companies,” Odyssey Opera today announced the release of its fifth album: Camille Saint Saëns: Henry VIII. Recorded on New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall stage in 2019, this four-CD set marks the debut recording of the complete four-act opera including rediscovered music that has been omitted for over a century. At the helm of conductor Gil Rose, Odyssey Opera’s 70-piece orchestra and 60-voice chorus are joined by some of today’s leading singers including baritone Michael Chioldi as King Henry, soprano Ellie Dehn as Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and mezzo-soprano Hilary Ginther as Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn.

Written at the height of the composer’s career and performed often in the 19th century, it never took off, despite being a great, lush French opera with an extended seven movement ballet. Perhaps the main reason for its eventual neglect was that it was incomplete. “With an hour of music never heard till the performance in 2019 that this recording is based on, this release presents the composer’s initial vision,” explains Gil Rose, Odyssey Opera’s Artistic and General Director. “Though Saint-Saëns advocated for the full score as represented by his surviving orchestral manuscript, what was presented at the premiere and subsequent performances left out large important sections of the narrative plus some of the most gorgeous music in the opera. By restoring the complete music, the story and grand opera is brought to life.” The abbreviated version premiered in 1883 and received its North American premiere 100 years later in 1983. The complete opera was not heard until 2019 when Odyssey Opera embarked on a huge undertaking to find the original manuscript of the orchestral score (with the help of Saint-Saëns scholar Hugh Macdonald) and subsequently resurrected the opera with a world premiere in 2019, as recorded on these discs.

Henry VIII brings to life one of history’s most infamous love triangles between Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, and Anne Boleyn. Performing the title role of the second Tudor king, Henry VIII, is American baritone Michael Chioldi, who recently jumped into the title role of Verdi’s Rigoletto for The Metropolitan Opera. As Henry VIII, he “dominates the proceedings…with a truly commanding voice of resonant volume and aim (American Record Guide).”

About Odyssey Opera       

Founded in 2013 by artistic director/conductor Gil Rose, Odyssey Opera presents adventurous and eclectic works that affirm opera as a powerful expression of the human experience. Its world-class artists perform the operatic repertoire from its historic beginnings through lesser-known masterpieces to contemporary new works and commissions in varied formats and venues. Odyssey Opera takes its audience on a journey to places they’ve never been before. odysseyopera.org

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