DVD Videos

“a masterpiece of controlled timing and patience” Gramophone Magazine

“A strikingly staged, beautifully sung production” New York Times

“…mezzo-soprano Brigitte Balleys as Nero is credibly masculine without being theatrically butch, Ning Liang is darkly dignified as Ottavia, countertenor Michael Change (Ottone) and bass Harry van der Kamp (Seneca) are rock steady in their roles. Soprano Cynthia Haymon as Poppea has presence... The stage setting and direction by Pierre Audi is rather gloomy and minimalist, and so focused on internal feelings that there is almost no theatrical transition between scenes... Even so, this is now the first choice on DVD for this opera...” BBC Music Magazine, September 2005 *****

“Memorable Monteverdi - Brigitte Balleys’s Nerone was so flawlessly sung that one never missed the more usual tenor casting of the role” Opera

“Amsterdam has a model opera company: fresh, controversial and accessible… this Poppea is a quality product of self-evidently world class distinction” Sunday Times

“The casting on the whole is successful, with Nero sung by Mireille Delunsch, a choice that is not only musically successful (particularly in duets with Anne Sofie von Otter where dissonances melt exquisitely into unison), but also opens up the interesting dramatic possibility of presenting the Emperor as a spoilt adolescent, incapable of fulfilling his awesome responsibilities. Denis Sedov's youthful appearance belies his pleasantly rich and resonant voice, powerfully effective in its lower registers, while some of the best singing of all comes from Sylvie Brunet, whose account of 'A Dio Roma' beautifully realised, displays an intelligent understanding of the dramatic architecture of one of the high points of the work.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2005

“Raymond Leppard's edition of Poppea, first staged at Glyndebourne in 1962, opened many people's eyes and ears to Monteverdi for the first time. By 1984, though, when Glyndebourne mounted this new production, his Respighi- isation of Monteverdi's sparse original was distinctly old hat. The allegorical prologue was restored; but as well as the lush string textures there remained the downward transposition of castrato roles and the squeezing of three acts into two. Yet only the most fanatical devotee of historically informed performance could fail to respond to this wonderful production with sumptuous designs by John Bury.
Peter Hall's production is, quite properly, dominated by Poppea. Maria Ewing is the personification of sensuousness, singing with rich tone throughout. She brilliantly conveys Poppea's ruthless ambition, her steely determination to become empress at all costs. By the end you feel that Poppea and Nero richly deserve each other, and the empress Ottavia is well shot of her husband. Hall frequently has his singers addressing the camera: a bold move, but one that forces the viewer to become involved in the fate of these mainly rather unappealing characters.
The drawbacks of Leppard's edition notwithstanding, this is a great theatrical experience.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The renowned collaborations between Zurich Opera and Nikolaus Harnoncourt in the 1970s and early 80s were crucial milestones in projecting historically aware performance away from historicism-for-its-own-sake, towards vitally conceived productions for contemporary audiences.
Il Ritorno enjoyed great success in 1977 in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's imaginative staging: Harnoncourt's opulent instrumental palette lifted the hearts of many, though only the eyebrows of the purists. In this musical 'revival' to celebrate 25 years of the swashbuckling original, Harnoncourt allows the nobility of the score to roll unimpeded by the driven intensity of the older recorded account on Teldec from 1971.
The vocal contributions are more eloquent than ever, with outstanding contributions from Vesselina Kasarova and Dietrich Henschel. Can Monteverdi have ever heard this opera sung with such an extraordinary range of vocal beauty and immediacy of expression? This extends to all the characters.
Of the two caveats here, the durability of Harnoncourt's big-band score with its bold instrumental canvas is likely to be a source of debate. Monteverdi left only a shell of his musical genius and, as convention dictated, the performers filled in the rest. The logic of using the greatest array of coloration to suit the context of characterisation and emotional states is highly plausible for all those who value music drama – and Monteverdi, more to the point – in pastels rather than charcoal. Yet there are moments when the spirit of realisation enters the realm of transcription, especially in the richly endowed brass ensembles used for divine intervention. A later baroque soundworld occasionally prevails, and the luminosity of the moment is lost. However, the warm glow of assured fidelity in 'Hor di parlar e tempo' – where Ulysses's accompagnato recitative lends authenticity to the composer's primal communicative instincts – is ravishing and persuasive.
The DVD production is flawed only by some poor dubbing in Act 2.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010