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.
