Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea

This is one of the greatest of all operas and one of the most problematic. Opera as an art form was less than fifty years old when the ageing and terminally ill Monteverdi and the rakish librettist Busenello (and possibly others) staged this morally lax, sexual political bedroom romp full of ambition driven people who appear to have been totally lacking in virtue or have carefully hidden any trace. "Deh,nasconditi, o Virtu'" (1643 Teatro SS Giovanni e Paolo, Venice). Claudio Monteverdi died a few months after the opening. There are several conflicting manuscripts of this opera but from later dates (1651). This production uses a new edition of the score by Jonathan Cable. No other information is givenI have several versions of this opera both DVDs and CDs and each has some particular outstanding trait or character. For Seneca it's Robert Lloyd in the Maria Ewing DVD but her Poppea is too sentimental. For Ottavia it's Anne Sofie von Otter in the John Eliot Gardiner CD who's lament is truly heart rending but the vehemence and hate in her order to Ottone to kill Popea is frightening. But the two characters who really matter in this opera are Nero and Poppea. The Nero here is Philippe Jaroussky and I think the best of the lot. He brings to this very nasty, self-serving character an air of innate rotteness that comes across in his alto counter-tenor but still gives off enough 17-keto steroids in the voice to let us know that this is a man. His voice has a sneering quality to it and it blends perfectly with that quality in the great star Danielle de Niese. In her previous disc of this role with Emmanuelle Haim conducting and Alice Coote as Nero there was certainly fire and sensuality but a bit too much sliding of notes and rubato of tempo for me. In this disc she is more precise in tone and tempo and I might add she becomes the Poppea of the times. She has mastered nuance and covered deceit wonderfully well. This Poppea can turn her back on a former lover and is now possessed by ambition as was Anna Bolena to come. Nothing matters but to become Empress at any cost. Danielle's stage presence is remarkable. She walks on a crowded stage and no one else is there. She sings with her body as well conveying an unique ability to demand the attention of everybody. She is a wonder to behold.The Ottavia of Anna Bonitatibus was too old and stiff. Her lament was a disappointment. The Seneca of Antonio Abete was also dull. However the two nurses, Arnalta & Nutrice, and their description of the perils of old age were great. Venice opera at the time had comic parts mixed with dramatic in a presentation. Thus the nurses were played by old men in drag using falsetto. Needless to say the music of Les Arts Florissants with William Christie was right on. What a pleasure to listen to those antique instruments really sing! Pier Luigi Pizzi did the costumes as in the the first DVD I own. Here he is much more austere than the lush extravagance of the previous recording. In all the costumes fit the action more closely although sometimes it look like they had borrowed the dining room drapes. This recording is a great success. Even if you already have several DVDs or CDs invest in this one. Highly recommended.

Full videos of "Poppea" have been uploaded on YouTube so why buy this one? Because THIS one is actually entertaining and even CAPTIVATING. Sure, the period orchestra hardly makes this production unique, but LAF is not just playing for historical accuracy but EXPRESSION! I was astonished by their dynamic range and the subtle lilt they give to phrases - it actually makes all those ritornellos fun to listen to! The soloists are all superb (with the exception of Abete as Seneca and Burt as Arnalta whose voices sound tired and “wobbly”) - even the supporting roles; they also sing with 'straight' tone, more common in Renaissance singing. For all their attention to the music, I never got an impression a soloist was just declaring the libretto but they have been well directed and I felt real emotion in their acting. Some might find the occasional obscene actions vulgar but I don't think they stretch far beyond comic. The costuming is inconsistent seemingly “cheap” but I have to admit that, with the direction and acting, the robes do sometimes compose to make attractive tableaux.To me, the musicians really sell this music and production. Renaissance opera is hardly accessible to the casual listener but THIS production is definitely worth your time.

There's some cavilling in these pages about the production and costumes. It's true that the set verges on minimal and the costumes are occasionally perfunctory. But who cares? Given the profound coherence and intelligence of the musical direction, the extraordinary competence of the orchestra, and the (almost) unrelieved strengh of the vocal performances, those considerations seem trivial. Most striking is Danielle de Niese's scorching Poppea (& that's not a term I thought I'd ever be using of a baroque opera). Her style verges on nightclub, or at least as closely on nightclub as is possible in this context. And she looks the part. From the beginning we have no trouble at all in understanding the depth of either Nerone's infatuation or of Ottone's despair. Even the singularly accomplished Jaroussky has a bit of trouble keeping up with her at times. The single weak vocal moment that I can recall is Katherine Watson's Virtù in the prologue, though she recovers nicely as the damigella in the second act. The only other Baroque opera I know of on DVD that is this consistently well sung, directed, and played is the Artaserse with Jaroussky in the title role. So close your eyes if you must, but listen to this performance. You will be amazed.

amateur d'opéra en blu-ray avec un lecteur et un tv 4K . image et son remarquables

People seem to be reviewing different DVDs here, so let me be clear that I am reviewing the Madrid version with Jaroussky as Nero. And I cannot believe that so many people bother with stage design, costumes and make-up when he is there! I personally quite like the minimalistic setting and the costumes have cool Game of Thrones vibes. But what really matter is that Jaroussky's singing and acting really breathes life into this creepy role of his. I think he has good chemistry with de Niese but is even better in his scene with Vidal as Lucano. Even people who don't understand early modern Italian will understand what their duet is about when they see these two. I bought the DVD to survive the first lockdown and am still coming back to it in dark hours.

Ce Jarrousky a réinventé la musique des castrats. Ce Monteverdi est vraiment innovateur surtout grâce à lui..

Todo es perfecto, la música, los cantantes y la dirección de Pier Luigi Pizzi. Les Arts Florissants, especializados en música barroca y bajo la dirección de William Christie, hacen una interpretación soberbia

Esecuzioni fra le migliori e più ben fatte ed eseguite che vi siano di questa opera. Scenografia sontuosa. Pienamente soddisfatto. Tempi di consegna lievemente lenti ma veniva pare dalla Svezia.