Music / Colston Hall
Review: Monteverdi 450: L’incoronazione di Poppea, Colston Hall
After the success of Il ritorno d’Ulisse inpatria last month, expectations for the second instalment of the celebration of Monteverdi’s 450th birthday were riding high. Following the story of the Emperor Nerone, the opera is a triumph of love over virtue as he overthrows his wife Ottavia for his mistress Poppea.
L’incoronazione di Poppea is a much more serious work than the previous opera; gone are the cliché characters, the jokers, and the clear division of good and evil. Poppea is an opera written in grey, brimming with betrayal. It is an opera of passion, of death, of lust and longing: one without morals or triumph – and in that sense is a much better portrayal of the human condition than Il ritorno d’Ulisses.
There were several unforgettable moments: the heavy tension as the male chorus desperately tried to persuade Seneca not to take his own life; the anguish of Marianna Pizzolato’s Ottavia as she was exiled from Rome; and of course, the stunning final duet. The last few scenes of the opera dragged on, but those moments between Hana Blaźíková and Kangmin Justin Kim were overwhelmingly beautiful, brimming with a quiet, almost religious ecstasy.
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Hana Blaźíková’s coquettishly lovestruck Poppea’s adoration was sickeningly sweet. Both Blaźíková and Kangmin Justin Kim’s Nerone lacked the manic, evil edge of murderers – Kim embodied the spoilt haughty imperialism of Nerone, but for Poppea, all other sense of character was lost to her constant fawning. On the other hand, Blaźíková’s rich, clear voice soared effortlessly – countertenor Kim had extraordinary virtuosity and depth, but occasionally the quality of his voice dropped at the highest points of his range.
The side story of Drusilla and Ottone provided some relief from the intensity of the opera – the fickle nature of Ottone caused hilarity, and Anna Dennis’ anguished defence of him under threat of execution was a thrill to watch. Carlo Vistoli and Anna Dennis were a perfectly matched pair – both with superb voices, and a complete dedication to their turbulent relationship.
Gianluca Buratto’s Seneca, the only truly unblemished character, was majestic in his entrance, resplendent in black and singing with power that had the very back of Colston Hall vibrating. The crude humour of nurses Lucile Richardot and Michał Czerniawski offset the tension of the main characters, but Silvia Frigato’s ream of characters had too much dramatic flair, and her voice lacked the depth of the other performers – more than once she was lost among the large violin section of the English Baroque soloists.
Sir John Eliot Gardiner led with a quiet precision, ignoring the drama unfolding around him onstage. His expertise came across with every pointed gesture of his hands, the exact length of a crunching suspension, the perfect amount of space covering a long virtuosic passage. His ensemble had no respite from the constant drive of music, and still executed it with a warmth and depth that transformed Colston Hall into the marbled streets of Rome.
The next performance at the Colston Hall as part of Monteverdi 450 is L’Orfeo on May 28. For more information, visit www.colstonhall.org/shows/monteverdi-450/
Read more: Celebrating Claudio Monteverdi with Sir John Eliot Gardiner
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