Stars: Patricia Schumann, Richard Croft, Concerto Koln, Rene Jacobs

Summary: Monteverdi's opera written only one year before his death in 1643 and recorded at the Schwetzinger Festpiele in 1993.

One of the "inventors" of the operatic form, composer Claudio Monteverdi still stands as one of the genre's masters. L'INCORONAZIONE DE POPPEA (The Coronation of Poppea) was written a year before his demise, and is considered to be a Baroque masterpiece. Thought the original version vanished in a fire, the renowned Baroque historian Rene Jacobs managed to produce a recognized new version of the opera for this French production. Starring Patricia Schumann, Richard Croft, and the Baroque ensemble Concerto Koln, this production is a rare treat.

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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

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Subtitles:	English, French, German
Year:	1993
Release Date:	December 4, 2000
Runtime:	150 minutes
Certification:	Exempt.
Catalogue Number:	100 108
Keywords:	Music, Opera, Poppea, Monteverdi, Di, Classical, Performing, Choral, Operetta, Vocal, Arts, L'incoronazione
Genre:	Music/Performing Arts