Thursday 20 June 2024, 5pm
The Grange Festival
Book now: https://thegrangefestival.co.uk/productions/poppea/

Love conquers all in ancient Rome. The baddies win, the goodies are banished or killed. Social advancement and power politics govern Monteverdi’s soap opera: the first great work of baroque musical theatre. A stellar international cast includes the return to The Grange Festival of Italian stars Anna Bonitatibus (Il ritorno d’Ulisse and Agrippina) as the rejected empress Ottavia, and Raffaele Pe (Agrippina and Tamerlano) as Nero. Another Grange Festival favourite, Kitty Whately is Poppea. And we welcome acclaimed American counter-tenor Christopher Lowery as Ottone, New Zealand Bass-baritone Jonathan Lemalu as Seneca and the popular German soprano Vanessa Waldhart as Drusilla. The groundbreaking instrumental ensemble La Nuova Musica is led by David Bates. Our new production, in partnership with Oper Halle, will be created by director Walter Sutcliffe and designer Jon Bausor, the team whose brilliant Agrippina at The Grange Festival in 2018 caused such a stir.

The performance will be sung in Italian.

• Librettist — Giovanni Francesco Busenello

• Orchestra — La Nuova Musica

• David Bates - Conductor

• Walter Sutcliffe - Director

• Jon Bausor - Designer

• Wolfgang Goebbel - Lighting Designer

• Kitty Whately - Poppea/Fortuna

• Vanessa Waldhart - Drusilla/Amore

• Anna Bonitatibus - Ottavia/Virtu

• Christopher Lowrey - Ottone

• Sam Furness - Nero

• Jonathan Lemalu - Seneca

• Frances Gregory - Arnalta/Famigliare 1

• Fiona Kimm - Nutrice

• Gwilym Bowen - Soldato 1/Lucano/Famigliare 2

• Jorge Navarro Colorado - Soldato 2/Libreto

• Armand Rabot - Mercurio/Famigliare 3