A brief interim piece before I continue next month with my chronological survey of assorted opera scores. This week I decided to tackle Monteverdi’s “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” a baroque era work whose imposing reputation has tended to intimidate me. Rather than just listen to the score I decided to watch a production online. I’m glad I did. Because I don’t think the work would have taken hold of me if I’d merely listened – even after reading a plot synopsis. Initially – at least for me - the score, though solid, seemed lacking in standout arias, the kind that knock you out on first listen. The opera, set in ancient Rome, revolves around the schemes of Emperor Nero’s ambitious mistress, Poppea, who’s determined to get him to marry her and make her Empress. The version I chose was a 1979 Zurich Opera production directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and conducted by the famous Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Wow, was this a lucky choice! In the original, Nero was sung by a female, a common practice at the time. This version casts a man, in this case a tenor. Productions over the past fifty years have gone both ways, sometimes using a tenor or baritone, sometimes sticking to the original female in trousers approach. For whatever reasons, I tend to like the male casting. I prefer the complete differentiation of vocal sounds in the duets. And I guess I’m seldom convinced by women playing men. Few, as far as I’m concerned, can pull it off. Square that I am, I’m not generally a fan of spartan opera productions that update period pieces to stark modern settings, be they post-apocalyptic wastelands, cyberpunk gang war sites. space capsules or whatever. The fact that this “Poppea” mixes two distinct historical periods doesn’t bother me a whit. Because both are presented in the most eye-filling and lavish way possible. The design plan for this production is a mix of early 18th century and ancient Roman, with the costumes all representing the former. This is very likely the way the initial cast was costumed in 1718. So I have zero problem convincing myself that it’s both pleasurable and appropriate.
Two things in particular make this “Poppea” a thrilling experience. The cast is quite wonderful. It’s always marvelous for a newbie like me to discover great operatic performers from the past, people about whom I previously had no idea. Swiss tenor Erik Tappy (who plays Nero) is a wonderful case in point. A fine actor, a handsome, commanding presence (in his red Bonnie Prince Charlie wig) and fortunately(considering who he’s playing) this man can pull out the dangerously unhinged card at a moment’s notice. He’s also a glorious singer. The score gives him plenty of opportunity to do just that and – for me - he never puts a wrong foot forward, dramatically or vocally. Another discovery for me was mezzo Trudeliese Schmidt as Ottavia, the emperor’s about to be cast off wife. At first I thought she was just an imposing beauty with a good voice – but she soon makes it clear she’s an actress of tremendous power too. Her climactic moments are just that. There’s a large cast of characters – and I’ve got to say these performers are terrific across the board. I’d have preferred a more traditionally beautiful Poppea; besotted characters are ready to kill or die for her throughout the piece. And frankly Rachel Yakar’s no Hedy Lamarr. But I can’t fault the lady’s singing. It just strikes me that several of the women around her are not just prettier but also have acting and singing chops that make me feel they should have been playing Poppea. Still, having so many talented, exciting performers on stage can’t really be considered a problem. And there’s not a moment in the score that isn’t significantly embellished by the sheer quality of the singing.
But what really astounds about “L’incoronazione di Poppea” is the libretto. It leaps across the centuries with a bristling timelessness that’s frankly Shakespearean in its impact. There are a great many supporting characters in the piece. Yet, each gets a chance to shine while displaying intriguing levels of emotional complexity. It’s hard not to feel thunderstruck when you realize all this was written more than four hundred years ago - yet still displays an absolutely up to the minute dramatic edge and potency. Motivations are multi-layered; there are no cardboard figures. The man who wrote the words is one Giovanni Francisco Busenello. And I’m certain knowledgeable opera fans already know him as a genius. But a novice like myself is just left gasping with newly minted admiration. This man absolutely knew the workings of the human mind and – luckily for us – also had a sublime ability to translate his insights into words. Had I just listened to a CD of “L’Incoronazione” instead of watching an English subtitled performance, I’d have never grasped what a towering work this is. Apparently Busenello (a successful lawyer in Venice) didn’t write too many opera libretti – and some of them are sadly lost. But thank God we have this one. It’s a masterpiece, the wind beneath the wings of Monteverdi’s music. I fully expect that with repeated viewings (which there will indeed be) I’ll eventually love the music too. I already enjoy and admire it.
I’ve just ordered another version of the opera on DVD. This one, a late 1970’s Glyndebourne production directed by Peter Hall, stars the exciting Maria Ewing (her Glyndebourne “Carmen” – also directed by Hall - is among my favourite opera DVD’s). I expect this second “Poppea” will also be impressive. But it’ll have some distance to go to match the one I’ve seen.
Here’s a YouTube link to the Harnoncourt . Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfuFVK3TyA4
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