L'incoronazione di Poppea

The vocal score for Monteverdi’s L'incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppaea). First performed at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice during the 1643 carnival season, it was one of the first operas to use historical events and people.  It tells the story of Poppaea, mistress of the Roman emperor Nero, and her desire to be crowned empress. Written when the genre of opera was only a few decades old, the music for L'incoronazione di Poppea has been praised for its originality, its melody, and for its reflection of the human attributes of its characters. The work helped to redefine the boundaries of theatrical music and established Monteverdi as the leading musical dramatist of his time.

This edition has been realised by British conductor Raymond Leppard following his production of the opera at the Glyndebourne Festival in 1962.