L’lncoronazione di Poppea by Harry Bicket

This Monteverdi’s opera, L’Incoronazione di Poppea was orchestrated by the Liceu’s Baroque orchestra and conducted by Harry Bicket.

From very small number of the productions for this opera I’ve watched or listened, this is one of the best ones along with the productions by Ivor Bolton and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (DVD version, not CD versions which I haven’t listened to yet.)

Harry Bicket’s orchestration of this Monteverdi’s music is well suited for my preference: slow, period appreciated and engaging. This is the second production I watched conducted by him after Handel’s Rinald.

His music sounds very good: attentive, rich and polished. As conductor, his music reminds me of a good music student who follows scores politely and earnestly in detail with affectionate care. Just by listening to his music, you just know he’s good-hearted individual.

It is very hard to find any flaw in his music. And yet, I’ve still tried to figure out why his Rinaldo didn’t move me deeply in spite of such musical high quality. And by this production, I started to see the reason.

There is very low degree of subtleness in his music but this laid-back characteristic is not necessary a flaw. His music is sensitive, warm and lively but lacking small amount of musical zest. His music is like riding a surfboard on calm waves on sunny day. Everything is beautiful and feels good but also there are less dramatic waves for excitement.

Even having said these, I still think he creates very good music specially when the scenes are more sensitive and intimate.

Mezzo-soprano, Sarah Connolly played and sung hypersensitive Nerone including sexually very well. The beautiful texture in her voice always impresses me. Her voice is rich and expressive. It has power and sensitivity to sing both Guilio Cesare and Nerone. And she’s the best singer for this role I’ve ever encountered so far.

Soprano, Miah Persson played beautiful, sensual and classy Poppea. She looked like gorgeous movie star. Not only her looks, but also she has rich, expressive beautiful voice along with good acting. Both she and Sarah Connolly took their roles sincerely as Monteverdi and his librettist partner, Giovanni Francesco Busenello intended them to be taken.

Bass, Franz-Josef Seling has very warm beautiful bass voice as Seneca. His voice and onstage personality may be too warm to play or sing this austere character. He looked and sounded too gentleman. I’m not sure if it’s because of this, the death scene didn’t have much deep strong impact in the way it should.

Mezzo-soprano, Maite Beaumont sung very good Ottavia with wonderful amount of weight and realism both in her singing and acting.

Countertenor, Jordi Dmenech who played Ottone did not have very beautiful voice. But his singing was very expressive enough to capture the real emotions. I’ve never thought this role can be comedic until I watched his acting along with comedic soprano, Ruth Rosique who also sung Drusilla very well with her beautiful silky sweet voice.

All the rest of the singers sung wonderfully except tenor, Dominique Visse who sung both Arnalta and Nutrice. He was good comedic actor but he did not sing well. When the best aria in the opera “Oblivion soave” doesn’t get sung well, it’s always disappointing.

The stage was set in 50’s with contemporary furniture setting, which is simple and all squared with the contrasting strong colors. This stage setting had rather dark, cold and un-inviting atmosphere by which I’m not certain what the stage director wanted to express. By contrasting with such stage setting, the acting direction had austere but much human warmth with genuine sensitivity.

All the main characters in this opera are very complicated with both good and evil sides. Monteverdi and Giovanni Francesco Busenello most strongly emphasized the contrast between such two extremes sides of human characters with the purpose for the dramatic effect. 

All the singers including the orchestration by Harry Bicket in this production looked and sounded so humanly nice to even emphasize this “wicked” side of the opera. That’s the only minor flaw in this production, if there is one.