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Claudio Monteverdi’s opera The Coronation of Poppea, was interpreted by the Latinitas Nostra baroque ensemble during the Athens Festival at the Onassis Cultural Center, on July 6th and 7th, 2011. The staging was the fruit of labour of three scholars: Apostolia Papadamaki was responsible for the direction, whereas Myrsini Margariti and Tasos Apostolou performed as Drusilla and Seneca, respectively.
The Coronation of Poppea (1642) is Monteverdi’s last and most influential work. With its human-centred approach and ingenious plot, it retains its appeal to date, thanks to its originality, voluptuousness, excitement and theatrical intensity. Unlike most operas, it is the evil that ultimately triumphs in Monteverdi’s swan-song.
According to the director, virtue is punished whilst greed for power and lust is rewarded. The play, though written as early as 17 century AD, breaks all conventions of literary ethics. It’s a hymn to the burning sexual desire and the excessive ambition and immorality that power brings and which reflects the decay of society. Even though the libretto extols moral decline, Monteverdi’s music is the outcome of pure spiritual lucidity.
