L’Incoronazione di Poppea 2019 Reviews

★★★★★
Plays to See
Owen Davies
February 2nd 2019

This magnificent opera by Monteverdi was first performed at the Venice Carnival in 1643. It dates from the earliest days of opera when composers were pre-occupied with the artistic challenge of creating a musical drama by setting poetry to music in ways that were both ‘naturalistic’ and beautiful. Monteverdi’s musical genius enabled him to lead the way in meeting that challenge and all composers of baroque opera owed him a debt. How lucky are we that the revival of interest in early opera has given rise to Marcio da Silva’s wonderful Ensemble OrQuesta which is offering a version of Poppea that is true to its musical roots and provides a dramatic staging that is entirely contemporary.

The performing space at The Cockpit is large enough to allow for the singers to move freely and to create visual images that enhance the telling of the story but intimate enough to allow the audience, seated in rows on three sides of the space, to feel close up to the action. And what a pleasure that is when we can get so close to fine young singers. And all the scenery that is needed is the bed which Poppea uses to enslave Nero, two chairs and a lit screen at the back – not sure that the occasional blasts of dry ice helped much.

The story is of the triumph of vice over virtue – or perhaps lust over the bonds of matrimony. The ambitious and beautiful Poppea has lured the emperor Nero into her bed and plans to persuade him to divorce his wife Ottavia and install her as queen. The noble Seneca urges Nero not to succumb to his mistress but is rewarded for his efforts by an order to commit suicide. Ottone, whose love has been spurned by Poppea, is reluctantly recruited by a vengeful Ottavia to murder her rival. His plot, aided by the Lady Drusilla, goes awry. In this version Ottone and Drusilla are executed and Ottavia is led away to death while Nero and Poppea are left to celebrate their union. And throughout, the spirits of Virtue and Fortune and Love watch the mortals in their trials and torments, and try to guide their choices.

As Nero and Poppea Helen May and Kathleen Nic Dhiarmada are superb. It is a real triumph to conjure up a passionate affair out of 400 year old words and music. After a hesitant start, May nicely catches the difficult balance between autocratic emperor and lovestruck suitor and, in a role that would probably have originally been sung by a castrato, she makes a convincing male hero. Nic Dhiarmada is born for Poppea. Her rich soprano voice copes well with the twist and turns of Monteverdi’s music. The famous final duet between the two of them is spell binding. Indeed, the final few scenes are the best of the opera as all the singers  – some of whom were slow to catch the baroque idiom in their early appearances  – settled to the style. All credit then to Marcio Da Silva, who directed, conducted, played and sang, for creating a team that seemed to ‘get’ the musical language of Monteverdi – so different from the style that most young singers today learn for opera performance.

With so many roles, it seems harsh to choose just one or two for special mention but Sarah Matousek as Amore, Gheorghe Palcu as Seneca and Sophie Levi as Ottavia all impressed. And in the tiny but demanding role of Arnalta, tenor Kieran White delivered the ‘lullaby’ (as Poppea falls asleep just before the assassination attempt) with heart stopping beauty.

The ensemble musicians on various stringed instruments were never less than convincing. Cedric Meyer on archlute was superb. This is a gripping evening from beginning to end and a vindication of the accessibility of Monteverdi’s operas. I hope more and more people have the chance to sample Ensemble OrQuesta and their baroque gems.

★★★★
The Stage
Yehuda Shapiro
January 2019 (later published in Opera Magazine)

‘The artistic and musical director of Ensemble OrQuesta, Marcio da Silva, has developed a distinctive style for his productions of Baroque opera. Stylised and austere, yet perceptive and sensual, they blend modern and period elements and make a virtue of measured movement and stillness: tension and expression are achieved without recourse to hyperactivity or exaggeration.’

‘In the Cockpit Theatre’s black box the power games and machinations of Monteverdi’s Ancient Rome are set in the round. The seven-strong instrumental ensemble – propulsive in the score’s many dance-driven episodes – is placed on one side of the playing space.’

★★★★
The Spy in the Stalls
Emily K Neal
January 2019

First performed in Venice in 1643, L’Incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea), tells the story of Poppea, mistress of the Roman Emperor Nero (Nerone), in her pursuit to become Empress. This production of one of the first operas to use historical events and figures manages to engage a modern audience through timeless themes and talented vocal performances.

Although there are central characters, this work is best described as a strong ensemble piece. All ten performers engage well with each other, displaying believable levels of emotion as well as physical connections. There are no awkward gaps between scenes, with performers making seamless entrances and exits.

It’s difficult to pinpoint a standout performance as every person involved demonstrated a high level of vocal and acting skills. However, the scenes and duets between Poppea and Nerone must be mentioned for their intensity and passion, excellently delivered by Kathleen Nic Dhiarmada and Helen May. Joana Gil as Drusilla brings a welcomed level of comedy and light, particularly during her early scenes with Eric Schlossberg as Ottone. Ottone’s love for Poppea is earlier rejected by her, and he offers to marry Druisilla when he realises he cannot win Poppea’s affections.

Accompanying the singers is a baroque period ensemble, led by Marcio da Silva, who is both Stage and Musical Director. Instruments include two harpsichords, an organ, lutes, a baroque guitar, baroque violins and a cello. These are all skilfully played and complement the vocal performances well.

The opera is performed in Italian with English surtitles, which are projected onto a wall upstage. This generally works well and the words are clear. At times, it did prove difficult to switch focus between the words and the performers on stage, but this could simply be due to the fact that having surtitles as part of a production is arguably quite rare and something that takes getting used to from an audience perspective.

Although first performed in the 17th century, L’Incoronazione di Poppea explores the timeless themes of love and its power, lust, ambition and sex. A minimalist set and contemporary costumes, as well as these themes, help a modern audience to engage, whilst the baroque ensemble means there is still a traditional feel. For someone who’s not hugely familiar with opera, I was impressed and feel inspired to broaden my knowledge of the genre. A sensual, well-delivered production!