L'incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi, Mái 08 Márt 2022, Ó (2022/2022), Faoi stiúir Natalia Babińska, Seoltóir Krzysztof Garstka, Teatr Królewski, Warsaw, Poland

L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea) first impressed the public during the Carnival of 1643 in Venice. The perfectly constructed libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busonelli, accompanied by the brilliant music of Master Monteverdi, fits perfectly into the carnival atmosphere of subverting social order. This applies not only to the narrative of the opera (after all, the courtesan becomes the empress) but, above all, to its socio-cultural overtone. The creators opposed the convention of idealizing reality, which was dominant in opera at the time, choosing to present reality as it was. There are no role models worth imitating among the main characters of this masterpiece. The motivations and actions of Poppaea, Nero or Ottone do not arouse sympathy, yet the dramatic and musical elements reflecting the psychological depth of these characters both amaze and delight. The argument between Fortune, Virtue and Cupid that opens the opera foreshadows the devastating game in which passion – having little to do with love – will not shy away from any wicked act in order to achieve its goal. However, could the divine creator of L’Orfeo leave the viewer immersed in dark thoughts about the vile nature of man? After all, the choice of historical figures as protagonists, certainly innovative at the time, was not accidental, and the awareness of their tragic fate – although the whole story is not told during the performance – means that Cupid’s victory over Fortune and Virtue is not as obvious as it might seem.