L’incoronazione di Poppea

Poppea Sabina, the most beautiful woman in Rome, wants nothing less than to be Empress at the side of Emperor Nerone. To this end, she uses all her seductive powers to persuade Nerone to assassinate his wife, Ottavia.

When the imperial philosopher Seneca opposes this plan, he has to pay for it with his life.

Meanwhile, Ottavia in turn incites the spurned and deceived Ottone to kill her power-hungry rival Poppea. However, the murder is thwarted in time: Ottavia is shunned and Poppea fulfils her plans, wishes and dreams.

At the end of their opera, Monteverdi and his librettist Busenello demonstrate their bitter view of the world: all their characters have flaws, and ultimately, those allowed to triumph are those who act most unscrupulously.

Monteverdi manages the feat of exposing his partially caricatured figures, whose melodies are very differently characterized, in a sometimes humorous fashion while also creating empathy for them.

His extremely expressive music, with sensual melodies, bold harmonies and astoundingly avant-garde style, tempts us to cheer on the adulterers, despite their scandalous behaviour.