Giant wolfhounds roam Manhattan

New York is a city of Yorkshire terriers, so I was startled to see a pair Irish wolfhounds crossing Lincoln Center Plaza. Who would keep one of the largest breeds of dogs (let alone two of them) in Manhattan? These are unlikely apartment pets. The answer became clear in Act I, Scene 3 of the Metropolitan Opera's production of Anna Bolena. The dogs were part of King Henry VIII's hunting party. 

The back story: Henry ousted his first queen, Catherine of Aragon, to marry her lady-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn. Now he is ousting Anne to marry her lady-in-waiting, Jane Seymour. After the opera ends this cycle will repeat three more times. 

Gaetano Donizetti wrote operas about three Tudor queens, and soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, currently singing Anne, will perform all three at the Met this season. In Roberto Devereux she becomes Henry and Anne's daughter, Elizabeth I, and in Maria Stuarda she plays Elizabeth's political rival (and one-time childhood friend), Mary, Queen of Scots. 

These roles require an imperious stage presence with enough vocal stamina and flexibility to handle the acrobatic florid passages. Radvanovsky has all that. Her specialty is a pianissimo that carries the huge Metropolitan theater, but I heard a little rasp around the edges. I hope these dramatic bel canto conquests are not shortening her career. 

There was luxury casting in the supporting roles: Ildar Abdrazakov had all the charm, menace and bass notes for Henry. Jamie Barton gave a sympathetic performance as Jane, Anne's unwilling rival. Tamara Mumford wore her trousers well as Smeaton. Stephen Costello, as Anne's former lover, Percy, was secure in all but the very upper limit of his role. But for me, the two strangled top notes did not detract from his otherwise nimble and shimmering voice. Special mention goes to director David McVicar for his straightforward storytelling that kept the action and set moving between scenes.