The Coronation of Poppea, Los Angeles Opera.
The Mrs. and I went to this the other night with Eileen Myles, Ron Athey, Suzanne Matheson, and her friend Margaret. I just have to say that it was a beautiful show.
<---Here's Mercury, coming down to tell us something about something.
I thought Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham kicked twice the butt of everyone as Poppea. She was super expressive & nuanced, and did some beautiful interpretations in my humble opinion. Frederica von Stade did a great job with Ottavia's final banishment aria. Hearts were broken. And after she got warmed up, Christine Brandes came out really strong as Drusilla. Ms. Brandes happened to have studied with the same teacher as Mrs. The Capt'n. The music world she is small. Countertenor David Daniels was also very expressive as Ottone. Kurt Streit seemed confident as Nero, but a little flavorless I thought, plus why did they cast a tenor and not a countertenor in that role? It was weird. Bass Reinhard Hagen was good as Seneca. He had a nice warm sound, not too much like a tuba.
The LA Opera site has clips to listen to. I'd suggest Pur ti miro, the incredibly beautiful final love duet. It's a killer, and there was not a dry eye in the house.
Here is a cute email that The Mrs. wrote and sent around to us before the show, to get us all excited and stuff, and which totally worked:
L'Incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea.) The most delicious 3 hours of banishments, suicides and reveling
in petty lust-driven victories, ending in the most erotic duet ever
written, second only to the Judas Cradle opener.
Remember, Poppea is one of the earliest operas ever
written. Monteverdi is using music to crack words and drama open and
spill affect singer-to-listener. The secunda prattica is the term used to
describe Monteverdi’s theory that the
text should be “the mistress of the harmony” -- which in a Poppean
context would mean that text seduces harmony into killing or banishing
those closest to it and after an incredibly hot but brief union, music
will kick words to death. which sounds about right actuallly. He
invented this concept as a reaction to the
prima prattica of his recent predecessors who believed that the words
of a song were
secondary to the music. As a result, the melodies twist and turn with
the words they carry, instead of getting squeezed into strict musical
forms like verse-chorus. The formal elements of the music are highly
symbolic. Monte uses what gets called "word painting" where the shapes and
directions and textures of the sounds emphasize and illustrate the
words they carry. Musical symbolisms also characterize the players in the
drama. Here is a little anal-ysis of Nero's character:
Nero
As was standard practice by Monteverdi and his contemporaries, the lead
male role was
sung by a castrati in the soprano part. Nero’s
conception of reality, the tessitura of his part is way up in the
clouds. Monteverdi demonstrates Nero’s weak will and dependence on
the input of others to move him into action is that he never sings an
aria alone and of his own
volition, but instead sings only dialogues with others. This aspect of
his part also demonstrates
his lack of regard for his personal relationships either with other
characters, such as his wife,
Octavia, or his court advisor, Seneca, or with the people whom he
governs whose opinion of him
he seems to have no concern for.
His inability to think for himself is further illustrated by his
musical relationship with
Poppea. Monteverdi helps to show her ability to manipulate Nero by
creating instances in which
she forces Nero to change to a different key. She vocally sets him up
so he is forced to cadence
on her chosen melodic goal.
and here is a lil synopsis:
Proloque
In the Heavens
The rival goddesses Fortune and Virtue trade insults as they dispute
their supremacy over mortals. Cupid arrives to settle the matter.
Act I
Outside Poppea's palace at break of dawn
Although abandoned by Poppea, Otho has returned to former haunts to
give in to his lingering passion for her. Seeing the emperor's guard at
the entrance of her alace, he surmises that Nero himself must be
inside, asleep in Poppea's arms. Roused by the sound of his lament, the
soldiers complain about the discomforts of the night; cursing the
lovers, they comment on the scandals at court and the precarious state
of the empire under Nero.
Poppea and Nero appear, distraught at the thought of parting but
finally taking leave of each other in tones of tender endearment. Left
alone with her old nurse and confidante Arnalta, Poppea reveals her
desire to become empress, replacing Octavia, whom Nero wishes to
repudiate. Arnalta warns her not to rely too much on the word of
princes, who, she says, are motivated only by self-interest. When
Poppea maintains she will trust Cupid and Fortune, Arnalta declares she
must have taken leave of her senses.
The Imperial Apartments
The empress Octavia feels herself
despised, the victim of an outrageous fate and subject to the whims of
Nero. Her Nurse suggests she avenge herself by taking a lover.
Scandalized, Octavia is torn beween her own sense of innocence and
grief at her situation. When the philosopher Seneca enters, he advises
the empress to accept her lot and remain resolute and constant. She
sees in his counsel only the vanity of philosophy, and her Page,
thoroughly exasperated, derides Seneca's pretensions. Aware of Nero's
intentions regarding her, Octavia goes to offer prayers in the temple.
Alone, Seneca reflects on how the glories of this world soon pass
away. The goddess Pallas Athene appears to him, foretelling his death
but promising Mercury will warn him in advance; Seneca accepts his fate
unflinchingly. Nero enters to tell Seneca he wants to repudiate Octavia
and place Poppea on the imperial throne. Seneca tries to dissuade him
on moral and political grounds. Losing his patience, Nero says he will
simply do what he likes, right or wrong.
Together again, Poppea and Nero recall the pleasures of the
previous night. The emperor, enraptured with her beauty, promises to
make Poppea his empress. She in turn insinuates that Seneca has been
boasting about his power over the emperor. In a moment of anger Nero
gives orders condemning the philosopher to death, and then leaves.
Otho, who has been observing the lovers, comes forward to plead
with Poppea. He only succeeds in iritating her and she says the has
only himself to blame for his situation; in any case she belongs wholly
to Nero. Watched by Arnalta, who feels a certain pity for him, Otho
decides to renounce Poppea and, fearing his life will be forfeit if she
becomes empress, resolves to instigate his own plot against her. When
Drusilla, a lady of the court and Otho's former lover, enters, he
proclaims his passion for her anew. While harboring some justified
doubt about this sudden change of heart, Drusilla is delighted to
regain his affections.
Act II
The garden of Seneca's villa outside Rome
In
the peaceful solitude of his garden Seneca is informed by Mercury that
he must prepare to die. Seeing in the decree a justification of his
stoic philosophy, Seneca grets the news happily and thanks the gods. No
sooner has Mercury departed than Seneca receives from a hesitant
Liberto, captain of Nero's guard, the confimation of the death sentence
ordered by the emperor. Firm in his resolve, Seneca prepares to meet
his fate. As members of his household gather round, he consoles them
when they try to dissuade him from taking his life and orders a bath to
be prepared in which he will die.
Rome
Within the imperial palace a less sombre atmosphere
prevails. The Page and a Lady-in-waiting divert themselves with amorous
banter; Nero, having learned of Seneca's death, is almost delirious in
his desire for Poppea and sings a passionate duet in her praise with
the poet Lucan. Octavia orders Otho to kill Poppea or else suffer
the consequences. To avoid suspicion he is to disguise himself as a
woman. Otho leaves, deeply distressed but promising to obey. In the
meantime Drusilla rejoices in Otho's promises of love, while the Page
makes fun of the old Nurse for wishing to be young and happy again.
Otho enters and reveals to Drusilla what he has to do. He asks for her
help in supplying him with clothes as a disguise.
Poppea's garden
Poppea exults over the death of Seneca and
prays to Cupid to make her Nero's bride; to Arnalta she promises
continuing affection. Then, overcome with fatigue, she lies down to
rest and gradually falls asleep to a gentle lullaby sung by Arnalta; no
one is to be allowed to disturb her except Drusilla or some other close
friend. Cupid descends to protect Poppea, hiding near her. Still
plagued with doubt, Otho enters the garden disguised as Drusilla. Just
as he is about to kill Poppea, Cupid intervenes and prevents him.
Poppea wakes up at that very moment, and Otho, taken for Drusilla,
flees, chased by Arnalta and the servants. Cupid claims that as well as
defending Poppea he will see her crowned as empress that very day.
Act III
Rome
Blissfully unaware of the situation,
Drusilla hopes to learn shortly of her rival Poppea's death and to bask
in Otho's love. But Arnalta, accompanied by lictors, discovers and
captures her. Protesting her innocence, she is brought before Nero, who
interrogates her about the attempted murder. In order to protect Otho,
however, Drusilla confesses that she wanted to kill Poppea because of
former enmity between them. Nero sentences her to death, but Otho,
having heard everything, burst in and confesses his own guilt, saying
he was urged on to the crime by Octavia. Nero decides to spare Otho's
life, condemning him instead to exile and confiscating his titles and
wealth; Drusilla is to be allowed to accompany him. The couple depart
contented. Nero now decrees the repudiation and banishment of Octavia.
She is to be placed in a boat and left to drift at the mercy of the
winds. Nero swears to Poppea that today she will be his bride. The
prospect of becoming an empress's confidante cheers Arnalta enormously.
Repudiated by Nero, Octavia bids a sad farewell to her homeland, family
and friends.
Nero's Palace
Nero invites Poppea to ascend the imperial
throne, and in the name of the people and Roman Senate she is crowned
by consuls and tribunes. Cupid, descending from the heavens with Venus,
the Graces and a chorus of Cupids, likewise crowns Poppea as goddess of
beauty on earth. The lovers reaffirm their passion in an ecstatic final
duet.