Harnoncourt conducts Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea

The Zurich Opera's Monteverdi cycle in the mid-1970s caused a sensation, setting a new standard for how period instruments could be used to bring early music to the stage. Nikolaus Harnoncourt established himself as an important opera conductor, and his favourite director of many years, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, demonstrated how modern and fresh the works of the first great opera composer in music history could be. Here they turn their hand to Monteverdi's revolutionary L'incoronazione di Poppea. The work was one of the first operas to use as its basis historical rather than legendary events and unflinchingly charts the beautiful Poppea's amorous and political machinations as she tightens extends her power and influence in Emperor Nero's Rome.

Soloists: 

Matti Salminen (Bass), Trudeliese Schmidt (Mezzo-Soprano), Éric Tappy (Tenor), Rachel Yakar (Soprano), Renate Lenhart (Mezzo-Soprano), Helrun Gardow (Mezzo-Soprano), Paul Esswood (Countertenor), Alexander Oliver (Tenor), Janet Perry (Soprano), Klaus Brettschneider (Boy Soprano), Philippe Huttenlocher (Baritone), Maria Minetto (Mezzo-Soprano), Suzanne Calabro (Mezzo-Soprano), Peter Keller (Tenor), Francisco Araiza (Tenor), Rudolf A. Hartmann (Bass-Baritone), Peter Straka (Tenor), Fritz Peter (Tenor), Werner Gröschel (Bass)

Ensemble: 

Monteverdi Ensemble des Opernhauses Zürich

Conductor: 

Nikolaus Harnoncourt