Liz Lauren

Underworld-ly charm: The Brooklyn Academy of Music will present Chicago Opera Theater's production of Claudio Monteverdi's first opera, "Orfeo."

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A contemporary of Shakespeare, Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) may not have been the sole inventor of opera, but the three complete operas that remain of his 21 musical stage works are considered the first truly mature attempts at what has now been a viable art form for the past four centuries.

In what is surely a highlight of New York’s music season, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is presenting a complete cycle of Monteverdi’s surviving operas throughout April. Not only is BAM bringing these masterpieces to local audiences but they will be performed and staged by several of the most audacious and exciting musical ensembles around today.

Currently at the BAM Harvey Theater through April 14, William Christie and his early-music group Les Arts Florissants - always welcome guests in these parts, as its dozen appearances at BAM since 1989 can attest - are performing Monteverdi’s "Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria" (1641) in a staging by Royal Shakespeare Company artistic director Adrian Noble.

Critically acclaimed at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France in 2000, Noble’s production of "Ulisse" allows Monteverdi’s elegant music and the simple, well-known story (of Ulysses’ return to his faithful wife Penelope after years away at war) to remain front and center, with two Slavic singers - Croatian tenor Kresimir Spicer and Yugoslavian mezzo Marijana Mijanovic - making their local New York City debuts in the lead roles.

Christie and Les Arts Florissants are in the "zone." Their sublime performances and recordings (including their newest Erato CD, of the charming "Les Divertissements de Versailles" by French baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, to be released May 21) have made them one of the biggest names, not just in the rarefied world of period-instrument ensembles, but in all classical music.

At the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, the Dutch National Opera and period-instrument group Les Talens Lyriques set up shop April 16, April 19 and April 21 with a production of Monteverdi’s final opera, "L’Incoronazione di Poppea" (1642), a complex tale of political alliances and betrayal in the backstabbing court of Roman emperor Nero and his beloved (and ruthless) mistress Poppea.

Monteverdi’s greatest masterpiece, "Poppea," has already played at BAM - a few seasons back, the Glimmerglass Opera production appeared at the then-Majestic (now Harvey) Theater - but the Dutch National Opera, one of the most innovative and original companies in the world, should find something new and substantial to say in its current production.

Artistic director Pierre Audi has brought the Dutch National Opera into a fabulous golden age, the company moving easily and successfully between standard-repertoire works and those on the fringes of popularity.

The final production in BAM’s Monteverdi Cycle is the master’s very first stab at opera, 1607’s "Orfeo," which is currently the oldest surviving work in the entire repertoire. Making its New York debut at the BAM Harvey Theater on April 22 is the Chicago Opera Theater; staged by Diane Paulus and conducted by Jane Glover, "Orfeo" presents the myth of Orpheus who follows his beloved Eurydice into the underworld.

Glover has proven her mettle as one of our premier conductors of baroque opera - she is currently at New York City Opera conducting another in City Opera’s acclaimed Handel productions, the rarely staged "Agrippina," about the murderous wife of the Roman Emperor Nero, through April 23.

Having Glover in the pit leading members of the Newberry Consort on period instruments should ensure a performance of high musical quality. The early word on Paulus’ staging, which portrays Orfeo as a bad-boy rock star of sorts, is that it’s, well, different, to say the least.

Still, giving operagoers the chance to sample three Monteverdi classics in three equally unique productions over the course of a few short weeks is why BAM has been so successful in building a loyal audience. And the current Monteverdi Cycle should do nothing but reinforce that loyalty.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music presents Claudio Monteverdi’s three operas "Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria" (April 11, April 13, April 14) "L’Incoronazione di Poppea" (April 16, April 19, April 21) and "Orfeo" (April 22, April 24, April 26, April 27). For locations, times and ticket prices call (718) 636-4100 or visit the Web site at www.bam.org.

The Monteverdi symposium is April 13 at 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm at the BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St. Tickets are $8.

©2002 Community Newspaper Group