Stars: Glyndebourne Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Maria Ewing, Dennis Bailey, Cynthia Clarey, Robert Lloyd, Dale Duesing, Raymond Leppard

Director: Peter Hall

Summary: Monteverdi's last opera tells the amoral story of Emperor Nero's love affair with the scheming, seductive Poppea. Performed by Glyndebourne Chorus and the London Philharmonic Orchestra; conducted by Raymond Leppard. Directed by Peter Hall. Subtitled. Sung in Italian.

Maria Ewing and Dennis Bailey star in Monteverdi's last opera which he wrote at the age of 75. Production is by Sir Peter Hall with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and Raymond Leppard conducted the London Philharmonic.

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Peter Hall's lavishly staged L'Incoronazione di Poppeacelebrated the 50th Anniversary of Glyndebourne in 1984 with a performance of Monteverdi's most celebrated and also most controversial opera. The score is conductor Raymond Leppard's "enhanced" edition, which he had premiered at Glyndebourne back in 1962, fully scored for a large orchestra. Much debate circles around the forces appropriate for performing Monteverdi's decidedly minimalist work, but one thing at least is certain: it didn't sound anything like this in the 17th century! Never mind, however inauthentic it may be, Leppard's big and beefy orchestral updating--including a fulsome continuo group with pairs of harpsichords, organs and cellos, as well as lute, guitar and harp--supports the weighty melodrama nicely.

The singers, too, are full-bodied, led by a fruity Maria Ewing as Poppea (in various revealing outfits) sounding suitably seductive, and Dennis Bailey, oddly lovely of voice as Nero (one of the opera's controversial aspects is the heroic central role accorded to these two thoroughly wicked characters). Perhaps best of all is Robert Lloyd as Seneca, who not only boasts a profound, reverberant bass, but also looks the part under beard and toga. With an onstage chorus to lament him, Seneca's death scene is the most moving in the opera. Peter Hall's clever staging keeps the Olympians--Love, Fortune and Virtue--permanently watching from above as the venal humans below act out this tragedy of poisoned love. The no-frills DVD has subtitles in English, French, German and Spanish. --Mark Walker

Main Language:	Italian
Region:	Region 2
Subtitles:	English
Year:	1984
Release Date:	April 26, 2004
Runtime:	155 minutes
Certification:	Exempt.
Catalogue Number:	0630 16914 2
Label:	N V C Arts
Keywords:	Music, Subtitled, Opera, Works, Italian, Performance, Poppea, Plays, Stage, Di, Classical, Performing, Operetta, Arts, L'incoronazione
Genre:	Music/Performing Arts