Brisbane Baroque
Brisbane, Australia

During the recent, tumultuous Australian Labor Prime Ministership of Julia Gillard, the country was occasionally supposed to be offered glimpses of “The Real Julia”. Reality is a rare thing in politics these days. So “The Real Julia” probably only emerged when she let her flaming red hair down and made her famous misogyny speech attacking one of her male successors in Parliament. It was so effective, it’s been set to music. Rivalling Nerone to succeed Claudio is Carlo Vistoli’s Ottone. Again, he’s far too impolitically real to achieve the office, though naturally wins the audience's support – and admiration for his manly alto singing – every time he’s done down by Agrippina, Nerone, Claudio and even Poppea, whom he adores. Keri Fuse’s performance in this last role is the joker in my pack. For her white outfit and blond locks ought to hide a black heart in my scheme of things (and so her multiple prick-teasing would suggest). But Ottone’s preference for her over the Imperial throne (“As long as I can hold you in my arms”) does lead us to believe in a change of her heart. What would Monteverdi think?