Description:
In Sir Peter Hall's Glyndebourne Festival Opera staging (from 1984) of Monteverdi's magnificent final opera about the love affair between Emperor Nero and the sultry Poppea--as Sir Peter recounts in a short introduction--the world of ancient Rome is shown through the prism of the Renaissance, when Monteverdi composed it. Sir Peter's clever conceit works because the Renaissance-era costumes seamlessly blend with the set design, which is vague enough to suggest both the ancient time of the story and what was then Monteverdi's modern era. The performance itself has splendid touches. Maria Ewing, then at her considerable vocal and dramatic peak, makes a wonderfully silky Poppea: it's easy to see why Nero (well sung, if too obviously enacted, by Dennis Bailey) has the hots for her against all morality and common sense. Raymond Leppard conducts a freshly enervating account of Monteverdi's score, which remains one of the true glories of the Baroque era. Note: the video box states 120 minutes, but the performance actually lasts 150 minutes. --Kevin Filipski
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