<<  -- 2 --  Maria Nockin    A VERY UNUSUAL EVENING

One of his interesting innovations was the use of an actual historical subject. Poppea was the second wife of the Roman emperor Nero. His first wife, Ottavia, was shy, retiring and unable to bear him children. A self-important emperor, Nero wanted a feminine trophy to show to the world, so he divorced her, had her exiled and eventually killed. Twelve days after the divorce, he married Poppea. For the three years that she held the title, Poppea was a glorious, high maintenance empress. She bore Nero a daughter who died in infancy and was soon pregnant again. One evening, she happened to complain about her husband's returning home late. He lost his temper and killed her with a kick.

On 30 November 2006, Los Angeles Opera presented L'incoronazione di Poppea in a production by Pierre Audi that was originally seen at De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam. Michael Simon's sets created the right atmosphere for each scene and, at the same time, afforded some reference to the era in which the piece was first seen. Emi Wada's costumes were uncluttered, loosely fitted and constructed from rich fabrics.

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