As part of my Nathan Gunn tour of America, I am going to Houston in a month for L'Incoronazione di Poppea (with an Astros/Cardinals game in between performance dates). I have seen it once before, in a po-mo production at SF Opera, which I liked better than some reviewers did; I think it suffered with comparisons to the Mark Morris production of Rameau's Platee that was running in Berkeley at the same time (is that the first mention of the genius Morris here? It won't be the last!) but it had a lot going for it, not least a performance of the Empress Ottavia by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson that was so intense it frankly threw the opera off balance. But I decided to watch the three available DVDs to prep for the trip. The original plan was to watch them all in one weekend. It's probably just as well that it didn't happen that way, though all three are different enough, not just in staging but in music (given the various controversies over the score and historical performance practices). Not only was the scoring different, but two had Nerone played by tenors and one by a mezzo, while two had Ottone played by countertenors and one by a baritone (this is Gunn's role in Houston).
First was a 1993 production from the Schwetzinger Festspiele, with Patricia Shumann as Poppea, Richard Croft as Nerone, and Rene Jacobs conducting. This was a good standard production, I thought, but for some reason they omit the prologue in which Fortune and Virtue argue over who has the power, only to be interrupted by Love, who points out that she (or he, in the form of Cupid) does. For some this omission will knock this one out of the running, and indeed I'm puzzled as to why they left it out. It may seem like an outdated bit of Renaissance allegory, but (1) it sets up a larger framework for the rest of the story and (2) if you don't have at least some taste for Renaissance styles you're probably not going to go for this opera anyway.
Next was the Raymond Leppard version with Maria Ewing and Dennis Bailey from Glyndebourne. I understand from those more steeped in musicology than I can claim to be that Leppard's version is controversial. I found it enjoyable, not being too caught up myself in continuo arguments and sackbut controversies. It is probably the one least likely to freak out the regular opera goer (that is, someone approaching it back from the nineteenth century works, rather than someone moving forward in time from early music), what with the absence of countertenors and, if my memory is correct, the nurses played by women instead of en travesti. I don't consider that a recommendation, but I'm not perverse enough to rule it out on those grounds either.
Third (and this was last night's viewing, so it's fresher in my memory) was Christophe Rousset's version with Les Talens Lyriques, with Cynthia Haymon as my favorite of the Poppeas and Brigitte Balleys as Nerone. This is the longest of the DVDs, and is probably the fullest and most "authentic" musically. But if you're looking for spectacle, this bare stage version is not the place to go. Also: what's with the incredibly butt-ugly costumes? Why would you hire a gorgeous woman like Haymon to sing the seductive Poppea and then dress her like Raggedy Ann? Why were they all in baggy fuzzy caftans, some festooned with what looked like carpet samples or failed macrame projects? And why was Poppea's nurse Arnalta dressed like a refugee from a Russian Constructivist version of Alice in Wonderland? This is more a version to be heard than seen, I guess.
I've heard rumors there's another version forthcoming, with William Christie conducting, but so far no sightings on the Amazon. . . .
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