Anne de Bretagne is a rock opera by Alan Simon, based on the life of Anne of Brittany. The story follows the historical events that made her the last Duchess of independent Brittany and twice-crowned queen of France.
| Anne de Bretagne | |
|---|---|
| Le Rock Opéra d'Alan Simon | |
 | |
| Music | Alan Simon |
| Lyrics | Alan Simon |
| Book | Alan Simon |
| Premiere | 29 June 2009: Château des ducs de Bretagne, Nantes |
| Productions | 2009 Nantes, France 2010 France tour (folk rock) 2011 Paris, France (folk rock) 2012 France tour (folk rock) 2012 Redon, France (Renaissance) |
Background
editIn 2007, Alan Simon visited an exhibition about Anne of Brittany at the Château des ducs de Bretagne. He got the idea to write an opera about Anne after seeing the reliquary of her heart; he then spent months researching her life. He wanted to write an opera connected to Brittany, and decided on Anne because "in spite of the hundreds of streets, hotels and schools that carried her name, no one knew her story".[1] He wrote the opera based on Renaissance music, classical music and folk rock.[2]
Performances and recording
editThe recording for the studio album took place between August 2007 and February 2009, with more than 200 musicians participating. The first two performances took place on 29 and 30 June 2009, at Nantes, in the courtyard of the castle of the Dukes of Brittany. On this occasion, the show was played in front of nearly 6000 people. The live show was recorded and later released on CD and DVD. Costumes for the show were designed by Jeanine Lérin-Cagnet and Elise Bossard.
On 5–11 November 2010, a folk rock version of Anne de Bretagne was performed in Ploemeur, Nantes, Quimper and Rennes. This version had some changes compared to the original show—it was more acoustic and did not have the bagad or symphony orchestra. There was also a new narrator, as Jean-Claude Dreyfus could not participate in the tour. For this tour, the narrator was Jean-Louis Jossic, who also played the role of Louis XII.
In April 2012, the folk rock version was performed in Bouvron, Romorantin-Lanthenay, Rennes and Plougastel-Daoulas. There were some changes to the original cast, and the title role was played by Bleunwenn Mevel of Tri Yann. On 22 September 2012, a Renaissance version was performed in Redon.
On 19 September 2014, the show was performed in Vannes as part of Celti'Vannes, a Breton cultural festival. The festival coincided with the 500th anniversary of Anne of Brittany's death.[2]
Characters
edit- Duchess Anne of Brittany, Queen of France, wife of two kings of France.
- Francis II, Duke of Brittany, Anne's father.
- Louis XII, King of France, 2nd husband of Duchess Anne.
- Philippe de Montauban
- Ferdinand II of Aragon
- Edward IV, King of England.
- John IV of Chalon-Arlay, the Prince of Orange.
- Michelangelo, Italian sculptor, painter, poet and architect.
- Admiral Charles Howard
- Pierre Landais, adviser to Duke Francis II of Brittany.
- Alain I of Albret
- Henry VII, King of England.
- Leonardo da Vinci, Italian inventor and painter.
- Charles VIII, King of France, 1st husband of Duchess Anne.
Original cast and musicians
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Musical numbers
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Cast recordings
edit- 2009: Anne de Bretagne, studio album (double CD)
- 2010: Anne de Bretagne: live au Château des Ducs de Bretagne (triple CD)
- 2010: Anne de Bretagne au Château des Ducs de Bretagne (DVD)
References
edit- ^ "Bringing Anne de Bretagne back". The Connexion. November 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ a b Sebillet, Louise (2 September 2014). "La Duchesse Anne célébrée par un rock opéra". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- "Anne de Bretagne: Le rock opéra d'Alan Simon". Official Website. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2014.