On the strength of a masterful Orfeo in 2023, the Cappella Mediterranea conducted by Leonardo Garcia Alarcon made an eagerly awaited return to Lanaudière with Monteverdi’s “other” opera, The Coronation of Poppea. A different work, conceived at the very end of the composer’s life (whereas Orfeo was written some thirty years earlier) and subject to commercial dictates unheard of for opera at the time. On this subject, READ the interview I conducted with Mr. Alarcon in preparation for this concert.
Alarcon was surrounded by his faithful colleagues on instruments and vocals, many of whom were there in 2023. The same calibre, then, with the addition of Lanaudière’s Pascale Giguère, called in at the last minute to replace a sick violinist. Hats off to Ms. Giguère, and we’re justifiably proud of her, for the musician’s playing was fully up to the standard of the ensemble.
In a more sparing gauge than for Orfeo (see again the interview mentioned above), the Cappella demonstrated its perfect match with the score, as much in the suggestion of emotions as in the precision of the melodic and accompanying lines. And, once again, the splendour of the singers was on display. Countertenor Niccolo Balducci in the role of Nero was imperial, but without grandiloquence. Sophie Juncker, who was said to be indisposed by a virus, held her part very well, even if there were occasional lapses in the strength of her projection. Nothing to make us sulk, that said. The secondary roles were all of a very high standard: the solemn Edward Grint (Seneca), the amorous and even naive Lucia Martin Carton (Drusilla), the slightly pitiful and even loser Christopher Lowrey (Othon, splendidly ridiculous in his Hawaiian t-shirt) and the truculent Samuel Boden in a panoply of small roles (a nurse, Arnalta, Damigella, etc.), which he performed with humour and casualness, despite the use of a tablet on which he consulted his score. One can only imagine the increased impact his performance would have if he knew how to do without it!
But beyond all that, I was particularly charmed by soprano, Mariana Flores in the role of Octavia, a noble and somewhat haughty empress, humiliated by the rejection of her emperor husband and driven to plot like a villain to save her marriage and, above all, her title and reputation.
In an exquisite tight-fitting dress, she was as desirable as a queen should be in legend. But her Olympian presence gave her the appropriate emotional distance, betraying a character that Nero described as ‘frigid.’ An accusation often tinged with misogyny, but which here refers to the typical attitude of a matron from a prestigious and aristocratic lineage, whose scorned dignity can only be expressed by a certain contempt for the world. Yesterday, Mariana Flores had the most accomplished voice, the most qualitatively holistic, powerfully expressive in her anger, poignant despite her reserve in her ideal high-pitched murmurs. A voice without tonal flaw or timbral approximation. For your humble servant, the queen of the evening, despite her final downfall in the libretto.
On the whole, too, the acting is impressive, embodied and clearly the result of long and expert work. You believe it from start to finish. Leonardo Garcia Alarcon demonstrated the full depth of his mastery of Monteverdian language and style. Another triumph for the musical director. We wonder what miracle he will bring us next time, but we can only look forward to it.
That said, audiences will have to be worthy of receiving this artistic quality, by coming in greater numbers. Otherwise, at some point, people will tire of offering exceptional programmes to sparse audiences.
