Photo by
Isolde Ohlbaum
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The Coronation of Poppea
Composed by Claudio Monteverdi
Libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello
Directed by David Walsh
Thurs, Apr 10, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Sat, Apr 12, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Sun, Apr 13, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Ted Mann Concert Hall
Synopsis
Before there was Verdi, there was Monteverdi! Separated chronologically by two centuries, there is nevertheless a strong point of connection between these two great artists which, indeed, links all the famous Italian operatic composers—a love for melody. Although Claudio Monteverdi began his (albeit limited) foray into the world of music drama (drama per musica, as it was called then) at a time when the text was considered of paramount importance, it was his lush and sensuous melodic line which distinguished him from and elevated him above his contemporaries. Like Verdi, Monteverdi benefited from superb librettists who were both skilled poets and dramatists.
Another similarity is that the operas, which brought both men to fame as operatic composers, were based on subject matter which, at the time, would have been considered unworthy of established artists of their stature. No stories of gods and goddesses here—decadent emperors, manipulating statesmen, and alluring courtesans represented the title characters and leading figures in the operas L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi) and La Traviata (Verdi). The rise in power of the Roman courtesan and political intrigant, Poppea, her success in displacing as powerful a statesman as Nero’s first secretary and counselor, Seneca, coupled with all the ‘behind the scenes’ machinations of others close to the imperial throne has been woven by Monteverdi and his librettist Busenello into a powerful music drama of almost Shakespearean brilliance and dimension. This is an event not to be missed on the spring calendar of Opera Theatre at the University of Minnesota.
L’Incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea) was premiered in the Teatro SS. Giovanni e Paolo as part of the Carnival of Venice in 1643.
—David Walsh |
