L'incoronazione di Poppea

While the Maria Ewing and Cynthia Hayman performances are my personal favourites of L'Incoronazione Di Poppea(a truly remarkable opera), this 2000 production is still excellent. I wasn't really all that enthralled with the costumes, Nerone's was perhaps too feminine and the rest rather basic and gaudy. However, while not exactly authentic or beautiful the sets are more convincing, and the quality of the sound, picture and video directing are spot-on. As are the musical values, with the orchestral playing always rich, incisive and beautifully blended in the many exposed parts. Marc Minkowski conducts with good understanding of Monteverdi's style, intimate and never too broad or plodding.

The staging captures the sardonic irony, liveliness and poignancy of the opera very well indeed. And the performances are very impressive across the board. Ann Sofie Von Otter sings firmly and is wonderfully spoilt as Nerone. Mireille Delunsch is an elegantly seductive and vocally glamorous Poppea. Charlotte Hellekant may take some getting used to, in a role usually sung by a countertenor(I do prefer Michael Chance in this role), as Ottone, but nonetheless gives a riveting performance with a voice of both darkness and purity. Ottavia is movingly sung by Sylvie Brunet, and while Denis Sedov is perhaps a little young for Seneca he still sings with resonance and has a commanding presence. Jean-Paul Fouchécourt is a witty and graceful Armalta, and while I personally would've preferred a lighter sound Nicole Heaston still sings with pathos as Drusilla.

All in all, an excellent performance. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Musically this is a top-notch performance of Poppea. Mark Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre really know this period and they have first rate soloists, particularly Anne Sofie von Otter as Nerone and Mireille Delunsch as Poppaea. Bass Denis Sadof is about 40 years too young to be convincing as Seneca but there are no complaints vocally. Charlotte Hellekant has sonorous low notes as Ottone but does not bring out any of the humour of the character. Sylvie Brunet as Ottavia, Nerone's spurned wife has all the notes but does not arouse our sympathy. Jean-Paul Fouchécourt as Arnalta, the pantomime dame, has a surprisingly sweet voice.

This Lyon Opera production has a simple but effective set but things go badly wrong in the costume department. Nearly everyone wears pink long johns. If you have seen the film "Everything you always wanted to know about sex...." you will be reminded of Woody Allen dressed as a sperm. The exception to this dress code is Anne Sofie von Otter who wears a succession of glitzy trouser suits so that she looks like Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail. Von Otter tries to be a mad, bad Roman emperor but she comes over as too feminine and too Scandanavian.

In most operas the participants are not masters of their own fate. They are at the mercy of the gods and have to submit to their destinies. This is particularly true of Montiverdi's operas where the gods actually appear on stage and are seen to manipulate the human characters. The only version of Poppea that I have seen that handles this aspect satisfactorily is Peter Hall's 1984 film of his Glyndebourne production. Peter Hall also successfully captured the humour and the sexuality that is inherent in this opera. His Nerone and Poppea are first seen having a roll in the hay. Too often in this Lyon production, including the famous final "Pur ti miro" the singers are at opposite ends of the stage, as though one of them is suffering from a bad attack of halitosis. So, ultimately, we have a brilliantly played and sung version of Poppea that is let down by unimaginative direction.