Monteverdi - L'Incoronazione di Poppea / Jacobs, Concerto Koln

Rating:
Summary: Cautions:
Review: 1. This is not the complete opera. The director has omitted the Prologue, which is need to introduce the opera in the context of Monteverdi's era.

2. Characters dress in 20th century costume (so, a modernized performance).

3. The performance practices are not historically accurate.

But, if you are interested in a modern interpretation of one of the more significant early operas, you may enjoy this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Un esplendido Monteverdi pero amputado
Review: La Coronacion de Poppea es quizas la primera verdadera opera en el sentido moderno de la palabra (el propio Monteverdi llama su Orfeo "Favola in Musica" y la Coronacion "drama in musica"). Este drama musical muestra a traves de la musica de Monteverdi y de un extraordinario libretto de Busenello, abogado, poeta, y politico veneciano lo mas profundo de las pasiones humanas. El ideal del hombre barroco es llegar a controlar dichas pasiones tal como lo afirmaron Descartes y Pascal. Contrariamente a lo que piensa mi antecesor comentarista, el hecho que el prologo haya sido suprimido donde la Fortuna, el Amor y la Virtud discuten del comportamiento humano, y la supresion tambien de otras interesantes escenas le quitan mucha intensidad a esta opera filmada ya que no se comprende muy bien que viene a hacer los dioses y el amor en escena. En 1990 pude ver en Montpellier ( Francia), la produccion inicial de Rene Jacobs ( grabada por Harmonia Mundi) que es a mi parecer con la produccion con el Atys de Lully de Chirstie/villegier las producciones que han marcado el verdadero renacimiento del la opera barrocca. En la produccion francesa de la Coronacion Jacobs combino los manuscritos de Napoles y Venecia para realizar una extraodinaria reconstitucion. Esta produccion Alemana con decorados modernos a veces incoherentes es una lectura que se aleja bastante de la problematica expuesta por Monteverdi/Badoraro. El escojer un tenor en vez de un Alto ( que sea femenino o falsetista) es igualmente a mi parecer una mala opcion pero Monteverdi sigue siendo defendido por Jacobs y su equipo y por ello este DVD tiene que estar en la hogar de todo amante de la musica del creador de la Opera.

Rating:
Summary: Un esplendido Monteverdi pero amputado
Review: La Coronacion de Poppea es quizas la primera verdadera opera en el sentido moderno de la palabra (el propio Monteverdi llama su Orfeo "Favola in Musica" y la Coronacion "drama in musica"). Este drama musical muestra a traves de la musica de Monteverdi y de un extraordinario libretto de Busenello, abogado, poeta, y politico veneciano lo mas profundo de las pasiones humanas. El ideal del hombre barroco es llegar a controlar dichas pasiones tal como lo afirmaron Descartes y Pascal. Contrariamente a lo que piensa mi antecesor comentarista, el hecho que el prologo haya sido suprimido donde la Fortuna, el Amor y la Virtud discuten del comportamiento humano, y la supresion tambien de otras interesantes escenas le quitan mucha intensidad a esta opera filmada ya que no se comprende muy bien que viene a hacer los dioses y el amor en escena. En 1990 pude ver en Montpellier ( Francia), la produccion inicial de Rene Jacobs ( grabada por Harmonia Mundi) que es a mi parecer con la produccion con el Atys de Lully de Chirstie/villegier las producciones que han marcado el verdadero renacimiento del la opera barrocca. En la produccion francesa de la Coronacion Jacobs combino los manuscritos de Napoles y Venecia para realizar una extraodinaria reconstitucion. Esta produccion Alemana con decorados modernos a veces incoherentes es una lectura que se aleja bastante de la problematica expuesta por Monteverdi/Badoraro. El escojer un tenor en vez de un Alto ( que sea femenino o falsetista) es igualmente a mi parecer una mala opcion pero Monteverdi sigue siendo defendido por Jacobs y su equipo y por ello este DVD tiene que estar en la hogar de todo amante de la musica del creador de la Opera.

Rating:
Summary: Unusual and Sensual Performance
Review: Once past the quibbles, (omission of the prologue, modern dress)
one has to take this performance seriously. Rene Jacobs leads a musically informed performance that is as dramatic as it is "correct."

Richard Croft, as usual, throws out some dazzling pyrotechnics with his versatile coloratura singing. While many prefer a mezzo or countertenor in this role, Croft makes a strong case for a tenor. That he's a particularly good-looking Nero only adds to the believability factor.

A basically unit set which expands and contracts around itself provides a great acting space adaptable to all of the many scenes. The intriguing costuming, is both futuristic and ancient looking at once contributing to a timeless effect.
Patricia Schuman is a marvelously sexy Poppea. Her singing seems to be more comfortable in the soprano range, while she is capable of the lower notes, they don't have quite the lovely quality of her mid and upper. But again, she looks and acts delicious and feels this music passionately.
Katherine Kuhlman's Ottavia is grim, but ultimately moving, yet she makes this character a little harsher than I've seen portrayed before.

Harry Peter's Seneca is beautifully sung, and with great dignity. Even in his suicide, which requires him to wear little more than a diaper, he retains a majestic and noble bearing. His suicide and the ensuing scene are among the most beautiful in this production. As Seneca dies, images of his life are projected above him which he watches along with us. The screen is replaced by a giant stage filling disc with stunning
zodiac symbols on it as Nero & Lucan sing over his corpse. There is a homoerotic
element that may disturb some, but the duet is simultaneously funny & moving culminating with Nero slipping his arms into some invisible straps, then swinging from the great disc back and forth over Seneca's corpse, as though he were a beautiful giant,
singing bird.
The countertenors are all terrific, particularly Poppea's nurse, It's sung in drag, and this
guy, an enormous, black fullback sized man, (indeed he looks like a linebacker) with a voice that is phenomenal in its range and power, more thickly mezzo sounding than I've ever heard in any countertenor. He is forced, however, to wear a costume at the end that looks like a nightmare mix of Dolly Levi & The Merry Widow, (with a hat that Dolly would kill for), taking camp about as far as possible.
Again, Richard Croft's Nero is the highlight of this beautifully produced DVD.


Rating:
Summary: Amor Vincit Omnia
Review: This DVD is made from a videotape of a live performance. The musical performance is excellent as one would expect from Rene Jacobs. Other aspects are not so great. First of all, the prologue has been dropped, and the goddesses Virtue and Fortune never appear. Secondly, the set is spare and uninteresting, and the action is set in a modern police state with the guards in riot gear. Finally, the sound recording makes the singers sound weak and distant; only the two-channel audio is available. The performance has a small advantage in that the singers look appropriate for their roles especially Richard Croft as Nerone.

Rene Jacobs reconstruction of the music is considerably different than Nikolas Harnoncourt's with which I'm most familiar, but that's not my objection to this DVD. The Harnoncourt-Ponnelle collaboration from the mid-Seventies is far superior in concept, staging, and acting. Even the recording is superior since it's a film rather than a live performance. Also, I prefer having Amor played by a boy soprano as in the H-P tape.

Unitel has been sitting on the H-P collaborations on Monteverdi's three extant operas. I wish they would get off their collective duffs, and reissue them on DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Renaissance Sensuality !
Review: This version L'Incoronazione is abbreviated and omits the tedious prologue, and some scenes that are not relevant to the main plot have been left out. This leaves a plot with good coherence. The music is mainly done with strings and "original" instruments and seems much in the style of the times. The staging is rather minimalist which seems a plus since it focuses attention on the excellent instrumental and vocal performances. The sound is good though not superb. The leads, Poppea (Patricia Schuman) and Nerone (Richard Croft), both sing superbly with excellent intonation and execution of the sometimes ornate vocal lines. The less important Ottone (Jeffrey Galt) and Octavia (Katherine Kuhlman) are also excellent though their character's and roles are less sympathetic. Some of the other characters are not so well sung but their performances are adequate. What is really outstanding is Poppea and her ability to communicate sensuality and yet ambition. I have no hesitation in remommending this as likely the best production of this opera you are likely to see.