L'Incoronazione di Poppea
L'Incoronazione di Poppea
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- Componist
- Claudio Monteverdi
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- Libretto
- Giovanni Francesco Busenello gebaseerd op de Annalen van Tacitus.
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- Versie
- Venetiaanse versie uit 1650
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- Tijdsduur
- 3 uur inclusief een pauze
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- Taal
- Italiaans met Nederlandse en Engelse boventiteling
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- Speeldata
- 5 april - 3 mei 2025
Deze succesvolle productie van regisseur Ted Huffman gooide hoge ogen tijdens het festival Aix-en-Provence (2022) en in Versailles (2023). Reden genoeg voor de Reisopera om deze productie als eerste naar Nederland te halen! De New York Times schreef in 2022: "Wrang en opwindend"
Hét hoogtepunt van het festival Aix-en-Provence!" Onder het bloedige bewind van de jonge keizer Nerone kan niets en niemand de opkomst van de mooie en immorele Poppea tegenhouden. Zowel de meest flamboyante Shakespeare-drama's als de beste tv-series van vandaag verbleken in vergelijking met deze productie als het gaat om het helder weergeven van de passies van de mensheid – van slaapkamer tot politieke arena.
Het verhaal over de kroning van Poppea combineert het beste en het slechtste in de mens via een scala van ambivalente hoofdrolspelers en kleurrijke bijfiguren, gecombineerd met de aangrijpende muziek van Monteverdi. Regisseur Ted Huffman creëerde een rollenspel dat de mechanismen van de menselijke samenleving aan het licht brengt als een eeuwige komedie van macht en verleiding.
Het prachtige duet Pur Ti Miro (Ik Zie Je), gezongen door Jake Arditti (Nerone) en Catherine Trottmann (Poppea)
Bekijk de teaser, met beelden van Oper Köln (2024)
In de pers:
- OperaToday: “De Huffman-productie maakte volkomen duidelijk dat deze opera over seks gaat.”
- OperaWire: “Schitterende productie, een krachtig en intens theaterstuk”
- Le Figaro: “Wie had gedacht dat het meest complete geluk van het Festival 2022 zou komen van Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, uitvergroot door een oogverblindend jeugdige cast.”
- Concertclassic: “Het is moeilijk om zelfs maar een enkele fout te ontdekken in deze productie. Het is ongetwijfeld het hoogtepunt van Festival Aix-en-Provence 2022.”
Het verhaal
De Romeinse keizer Nerome is verliefd op de courtisane Poppea; hij wil haar tot vrouw nemen en zijn wettige echtgenote Ottavia verstoten. Nerone's leermeester Seneca acht deze plannen moreel en politiek verwerpelijk en moet zijn tegenstand met gedwongen zelfmoord bekopen. De wanhopige Ottavia besluit Poppea te laten vermoorden en dwingt Ottone, Poppea's voormalige geliefde, door middel van chantage om de aanslag te volbrengen. Ottone roept hierbij de hulp in van Drusilla, die hij destijds voor Poppea verlaten heeft. Verscheurd door liefde en wrok besluipt Ottone, gehuld in Drusilla's mantel, de slapende Poppea. De moord wordt echter verijdeld door Amore, die belooft ervoor te zorgen dat Poppea diezelfde dag nog tot keizerin wordt gekroond. Drusilla, wier mantel herkend is, wordt opgepakt en naar Nerone gebracht, die haar scherp ondervraagt. Om Ottone te beschermen neemt zij alle schuld op zich. Als Ottone dit hoort, vertelt hij de ware toedracht. Hij wordt verbannen, en als beloning voor de door haar betoonde trouw mag Drusilla hem vergezellen. Nerone heeft nu een goede reden om Ottavia te verstoten en verbant haar voorgoed uit Rome. Poppea wordt tot keizerin gekroond, en in een euforisch slot duet bezingen Nerone en Poppea hun liefde.
Bekijk hieronder de scènefoto's van deze productie
Introductie
Poppea nu net zo actueel als in 1642
Regisseur Ted Huffman: "Op dit moment, terwijl Europa op de rand van oorlog balanceert, zijn we allemaal bezig met heel specifieke vragen. Hoe gaan we om met de gewelddadige vernietiging van een sociale orde door een psychopathische alleenheerser? Dit zijn precies de vragen die de basis vormen van deze opera."
Lees het interview met Ted Huffman in deze link.
Sensuele zwanenzang van de aartsvader van de opera
‘Deh, nasconditi, oh Virtù’… Verberg je maar, o Deugd! Wanneer een opera met die woorden begint, kun je als toeschouwer je borst natmaken. In de loop van de opera verleidt en manipuleert Poppea zich een weg naar de troon, zet Nerone zijn echtgenote aan de kant en jaagt hij zijn oude leermeester Seneca de dood in.
Lees het achtergrondartikel door Benjamin Rous in deze link.
Luister alvast naar de muziek
Op het Spotify-profiel van de Reisopera kun je alvast de prachtige muziek uit L'Incoronazione di Poppea beluisteren. Muziekkenner Benjamin Rous heeft een playlist samengesteld, bij ieder muziekstuk geeft hij een toelichting.
Lees meer en beluister de muziek in deze link.
Uitgelicht: 'Pur ti miro'
Aan het einde van L’incoronazione di Poppea hebben keizer Nerone en Poppea (na veel gekonkel, manipulatie en zelfs indirecte moord hun doel bereikt: zij is gekroond tot keizerin, en ze zijn eindelijk echt samen. In het sensueel extatische slotduet van de opera, ‘Pur ti miro’ (Ik kijk naar je), geven ze zich ongestoord over aan hun liefde (of lust?) voor elkaar.
Lees meer over Pur ti miro in deze link.
Artistiek team
Mónica Pustilnik
Muzikale leidingWebsite: Home | Mónica Pustilnik
Mónica Pustilnik
"...one of the great names of the lute today..." (Le Courier)
Mónica Pustilnik is a lutenist, conductor, and teacher.
Mrs Pustilnik performs on all of the historical plucked string instruments, including the lute and archlute, the theorbo, the baroque guitar, and viola da mano.
In 2021, she was appointed Artistic Director of the Association of Ancient Music Concerts (ACMA) in Geneva. Since September 2017, Mónica Pustilnik has been Professor of Lute at the Haute école de Musique (conservatory) in Geneva. She also teaches lute at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris.
Mrs Pustilnik is very active as a soloist, as a chamber musician, and in opera
productions. She regularly performs and records with renowned orchestras such as the English Baroque Soloists under Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Le Concert d’Astrée led by Emmanuelle Haïm, the Cappella Mediterranea conducted by Leonardo García Alarcón, Les Musiciens du Louvre led by Marc Minkowski, Les Talens Lyriques led by Christophe Rousset, Concerto Vocale conducted by René Jacobs, or Les Arts Florissants by William Christie, among others.
As a conductor, Mónica Pustilnik shared in the musical direction of"Heliogabalus" by Francesco Cavalli at the Opéra Garnier in Paris, and also for Cavalli's "Elena" at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Monteverdi's "Orfeo" at the Opéra de Lille, Cavalli's "Hipermestra" at the Utrecht Early Music Festival, and Monteverdi's "The Coronation of Poppea" at the Haute École de Musique in Geneva. In 2014, Mrs Pustilnik conducted performances of Cavalli's "Elena" at the Opera of Nantes and Angers. In 2018, she assisted Leonardo García Alarcón in the production of Henry Purcell's "King Arthur" at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, and also conducted the orchestra during the performance.
Mónica Pustilnik records for labels such as Harmonia Mundi, Naïve, Virgin, Arcana, Glossa, and K617. Her first solo album was recorded on the Accent label and is dedicated to the works of Alessandro Piccini. This 2014 recording received both critical and public acclaim.
Throughout her career, Mónica Pustilnik has performed in prestigious venues such as the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, La Scala in Milan, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Vienna State Opera. She also performs in recitals at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, at the Poznan Festival (Poland), in Ravello (Italy), at the Freunde Alter Musik Basel (Switzerland), among many others.
Mrs. Pustilnik's music education began at the National Conservatory López Buchardo in Argentina, where she studied guitar and piano. She then completed her formal studies in 2010 and received the degree Master of Arts at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, specializing in the repertoire of the Baroque and Renaissance Eras for the lute under the tutelage of the celebrated American lutenist Hopkinson Smith.
Mrs Pustilnik continued her training with Jesper Christensen, studying basso continuo on the lute and harpsichord. She did additional studies with the Norwegian lutenist Rolf Lislevand, at the Musikhochschule in Trossingen, Germany; studied choral conducting with Michel Corboz at the Geneva Conservatory, and orchestral conducting with Maestro Jordi Mora in Barcelona. She also attended private conducting workshops with Rubén Dubrovsky in Switzerland and Facundo Agudin in Argentina.
Ted Huffman
RegieWebsite: Ted Huffman - Stage Director
Ted Huffman is a writer and director for the stage.
He recently directed L’incoronazione di Poppea for the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, nominated for Best Production at the International Opera Awards 2022 and named in the New York Times’ Best Classical Music Performances of 2022; the world premiere of Stefan Wirth’s The Girl with the Pearl Earring for Opernhaus Zürich, winner of Opernwelt’s Best World Premiere 2022; and the world premiere of Kris Defoort’s The Time of our Singing for La Monnaie, winner of Best World Premiere in the International Opera Awards 2022.
This season, he will write and direct his third stage work with composer Philip Venables, an adaptation of Larry Mitchell’s cult 1977 book, The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions. Faggots is a co-production of Manchester International Festival (MIF), the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Bregenz Festival, and Skirball Center (NYU). He will also direct a new production of Roméo et Juliette for Opernhaus Zürich (filmed for Arte), and revivals of The Time of Our Singing for Theater St. Gallen and L’incoronazione di Poppea for Opéra royal de Versailles and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.
His most recent original piece is Denis & Katya (2019), a true-story opera created with Venables for Opera Philadelphia, and subsequently staged by Dutch National Opera, Staatsoper Hannover, Opéra national de Montpellier, and Music Theatre Wales. Denis & Katya won the 2019 Fedora Generali Prize and the 2020 Ivor Novello Award for Stage Work and nominations at the International Opera Awards and the Opernwelt Jarhrbuch Awards for Best World Premiere. Critics have called it “an intimate, haunting triumph” (New York Times); “bracingly original and bleakly powerful” (The Telegraph); “a monumental, dramatically shattering event” (Parterre Box); “a ruthlessly original piece that exposes our modern world…drastically revises the operatic genre” (The Sunday Times) and “the most brilliantly original operatic work I’ve seen in a decade…a sensitive, subtle and deeply questioning meditation on youth, voyeurism, and the age of social media” (Musical America).
His previous opera with Venables, 4.48 Psychosis (Royal Opera, London), was the first ever permitted adaptation of British playwright Sarah Kane’s work. The opera won the 2016 UK Theatre Award for Opera and the production was nominated for an Olivier Award, a Royal Philharmonic Society Award and Sky Arts South Bank Award. The original production and subsequent revivals in New York City (Prototype Festival) and Strasbourg (Opéra national du Rhin) attracted wide critical attention: “A new brand of opera” (The Times) “rawly powerful and laceratingly honest” (The Telegraph); “ 4.48 Psychosis is a remarkable achievement” (The Guardian); “sledgehammer power” (The New Yorker); “opening our eyes to what musical theatre is capable of” (The Times Literary Supplement); “one of the most exhilarating operas in years” (Spectator). Alex Ross wrote in The New Yorker, “4.48 Psychosis will have a long life, but it’s hard to imagine a better production than the one Ted Huffman mounted for the Royal Opera.”
Other past productions include Madama Butterfly (Opernhaus Zürich), Rinaldo (Oper Frankfurt), Salome (Oper Köln), Arthur Lavandier’s Le premier meurtre (Opéra de Lille), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra national de Montpellier), Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno (Royal Danish Theater), Die Vögel (Opéra national du Rhin), Luke Styles’ Macbeth (Glyndebourne), Ana Sokolovic’s Svádba (Festival Aix-en-Provence), and Les mamelles de Tirésias (La Monnaie, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Dutch National Opera, Juilliard Opera, Aldeburgh Festival).
A native New Yorker, Ted studied Humanities at Yale University and apprenticed at San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program. He was a MacDowell Fellow in 2017 with composer Philip Venables. They are currently at work with playwright Nina Segal on a new opera.
Johannes Schütz
DecorontwerpBorn in 1950 in Frankfurt am Main, he studied in the 1970s with Wilfried Minks in Hamburg and Berlin, and was later his assistant. In 1974, he began working as a stage designer for the Schillertheater in Berlin and the Munich Kammerspiele. He later became Head of Stage Design at the Bremen Theater, and moved to the Bochum Schauspielhaus in 1983 where he worked closely with the celebrated director Jürgen Gosch. From 1992 to 1998, he was Professor of Scenography at the ZKM in Karlsruhe.
With Peter Mussbach, he has created many opera productions in Hamburg, Kassel and Brussels. His own productions include Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, and works by Brecht and Schiller in Bochum and Mainz.
His collaborations with director Benedict Andrews include La bohème (Dutch National Opera, ENO), Three Sisters (Young Vic) and Big and Small (Barbican, starring Cate Blanchett). His previous collaborations with director Joe Hill-Gibbins include Greek (Opera Ventures/Scottish Opera) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Young Vic). Last year, he gave the Edward Gordon Craig Lecture at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
Forthcoming: Fidelio (set/costumes, Deutsche Oper Berlin); Oedipe (Komische Oper Berlin); Time of Our Singing (La Monnaie, Brussels).
Astrid Klein
KostuumontwerpShe graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in costume and set design from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hannover, and a Master’s degree in costume, textiles, and fashion in Hamburg in 2014. While studying, she gained work experience in the fashion industry, fashion journalism and styling, and from internships in theatre productions across Germany.
From 2014 until 2017 she worked as a costume assistant at Schauspielhaus Hamburg and supervised theatre productions by directors such as Christoph Marthaler, Simon Stone, and Karin Beier, while assisting Greta Goiris, Alice Babidge, Anna Viebrock and Johannes Schütz.
Since May 2017 she has worked as a freelance costume and set designer in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and England. This production of The Marriage of Figaro is her third collaboration work with director Joe Hill-Gibbins.
Bertrand Couderc
LichtontwerpBertrand Couderc studied at ENSATT (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre). He creates lighting designs for both opera and theatre. He collaborated regularly with the directors Patrice Chéreau and Luc Bondy. He has produced lighting designs for opera houses including the Paris Opera, the Vienna State Opera, Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He previously worked with Ted Huffman and Philip Venables on The Faggots and their Friends Between Revolutions.
Pim Veulings
BewegingsregisseurWebsite: Pim Veulings
Pim Veulings studeerde Dans aan de Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten en was als danser verbonden aan Landestheater Linz, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen en Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. Sinds 2015 is hij werkzaam als choreograaf en theatermaker voor muziektheater, film, dans en opera. In de opera werkte hij samen met regisseurs als Pierre Audi, Ted Huffman, Floris Visser en Evgeny Titov voor onder meer Opernhaus Zürich, het Glyndebourne Festival, Opéra National du Rhin, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Oper Frankfurt, Teatro Regio di Parma en La Monnaie Brussel.
Antonio Cuenca Ruiz
DramaturgAntonio Cuenza Ruiz studeerde podiumkunsten aan de École normale supérieure in Lyon en studeerde af in de filosofie aan de Universiteit van Nanterre. Hij was dramaturg in Brussel tot 2019. Met Peter Sellars werkte hij samen aan La clemenza di Tito en Idomeneo – beide op de Salzburger Festspiele, evenals Kopernikus in 2018 op het Festival d'Automne à Paris. Enkele van zijn recente projecten zijn FAUST [working title], gecreëerd in samenwerking met Lisenka Heijboer Castañón en Manoj Kamps bij De Nationale Opera, The Fiery Angel, geregisseerd door Andrea Breth, de première van Kris Defoorts opera The Time of Our Singing geregisseerd door Ted Huffman, evenals het oratorium Juditha Triumphans en Combattimento, The Theory of the Black Swan, beide geregisseerd door Silvia Costa. Deze zomer werkt hij samen met Ted Huffman aan Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea op het Festival d'Aixen- Provence.
Cast
Catherine Trottmann
PoppeaWebsite: Catherine Trottmann - Soprano
After studying at the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris, Catherine Trottmann joined the Ensemble of the Wiener Staatsoper where she made her first stage appearances.
The young soprano swiftly made an impression for her richness of tone and her talent as an actress, appearing in major international venues and festivals such as Opéra de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Carnegie Hall in New York, Berlin Philharmonie, The Edinburgh and Aix-en-Provence Festivals.
Nominated in 2017 at the Victoires de la Musique in the category “Révélation Artiste Lyrique” and HSBC Prize Winner at the Aix-en-Provence International Festival, she also won the First Prize at the Manhattan International Music
Competition.
Most recently, Catherine Trottmann made her eagerly anticipated debut at La Scala as Jemmy in a new production of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell helmed by Michele Mariotti and Chiara Muti and offered her title role debut in Ted Huffman’s staging of Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea at the Rennes Opera.
She has garnered widespread acclaim for her portrayal of both Leïla in Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles under Guillaume Tourniaire at the Opéra de Saint-Etienne and Adina in L’Elisir d’amore at the Bordeaux National Opera..
Recognised for her versatility, she is regularly invited to sing Rossini, in particular the role of Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Edinburgh Festival and the Konzerthaus in Dortmund. Add to this Le Comte Ory at the Opéra-Théâtre in Metz, Il Turco in Italia at theDijon Opera and La Cenerentola in Lausanne, Limoges and Vienna.
Also a lover of Mozart, Catherine has taken the stage as Zerlina in Don Giovanni at the Lausanne Opera, the Bremen Musikfest and the Beaune Festival, not to mention Le Nozze di Figaro at the Opéra National du Rhin
and her Flaminia in Il Mondo della luna at the Opéra-Théâtre in Metz.
Catherine Trottmann is also an exponent of the French repertoire. She has sung in Debussy’s La Demoiselle élue with the Orchestre National d’l’Ile-de-France at the Paris Philharmonie, Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges at the Salle Pleyel, the Lille and Limoges opera houses, Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été with the Orchestre Regional de Normandie, Honegger’s Le Roi David at the Salle Pleyel and in Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. She has embodied the roles of Princess Cunégonde in Jacques Offenbach’s Le Roi Carotte at the
Lyon Opera, Diane in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysees and the title role in Henri Sauguet’s Tistou les pouces verts at the Rouen Opera.
She it was who created the role of La Rose in Michaël Levinas’ Le PetitPrince at the Lausanne Opera, the Lille Opera, the Grand Théâtre in Geneva and the Théâtre du Chatelet.
Other notable highlights in her career have been the title role in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel in Metz and Eliza Doolittle in Frederick Loewe’s My Fair Lady in Lausanne.
Also active on the concert stage, Catherine has performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Mass in C Major at the Avignon Opera, Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio in Russia with the Moscow New Philharmonic Orchestra, Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream with both the Orchestre National de Lyon and Orchestre
National de Lorraine, and the French premiere of Leonid Desyatnikov’s Illusions perdues with the Bolshoi Ballet at the Palais Garnier.
Exploring more and more Baroque music, she was recently invited to sing La Resurrezione (Angelo) under Alessandro De Marchi in Oslo and with Julien Chauvin for both the Saint-Michel en Thiérache and Froville Festivals.
In the 2024/2025 season, Catherine returns to the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées for the title role of Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea with Le Banquet Céleste and for Zerlina in Don Giovanni alongside Les Ambassadeurs ~ La Grande Écurie led by Alexis Kossenko, both in concert.
Catherine will sing Brahms’ Deutsches Requiem with the Chœur de chambre Mélisme(s) in Rennes and Grenoble and will reprise L’Incoronazione di Poppea for the Nederlandse Reisopera accompanied by Cappella Mediterannea.
Jake Arditti
NeroneWebsite: Jake Arditti - Countertenor Corner
Finalist and special prize winner at the 2012 Innsbruck International Baroque Singing Competition‚ Countertenor Jake Arditti studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Andrew Watts and the Royal College of Music’s prestigious Opera School‚ with Russell Smythe where he was supported by a Countess of Munster Musical Trust Award‚ a Drapers Company‚ Baroness de Turckheim Scholarship and the Josephine Baker Trust. His professional career began as a treble‚ performing with English National Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera‚ where he performed Yniold Pelléas et Mélisande.
Jake received widespread critical acclaim for his recent portrayal of Othniel in Handel’s Joshua at Opera North; critics described him as ’’Outstanding’’ (The Guardian and The Independent)‚ a ’’rising star countertenor’’ (The Observer) and noted for his ’’Show-stealing riches of vocal colour and stage presence’’ (The Telegraph). Recent and future plans include Euripilo‚ La Discordia & Polluce Elena for the Festival d’Aix en Provence at Opera de Lille and in Lisbon‚ Spirit Dido and Aeneas for Opera North‚ Nireno Julius Caesar and covering Voice of Apollo Death in Venice for ENO‚ Cupid Venus and Adonisand Spirit for the Innsbruck Festival‚ title role Riccardo Primo for the London Handel Festival under Laurence Cummings‚ Nerone Agrippina‚ Amor L’Incoronazione di Poppea and Guido Flavio (English Touring Opera) and SUM‚ a new work by Max Richter (ROH2). Other roles include Apollo Terpsicore / Il Pastor Fido and Unulfo Rodelinda for the London Handel Festival and covering the role of Arcane Teseo in English Touring Opera’s Handelfest.
At the National Theatre Jake sang and performed in The Revenger’s Tragedy and Dido Queen of Carthage. Other theatre work includes Laurie Sansom’s critically acclaimed production of The Duchess of Malfi for The Royal and Durngate‚ Northampton.
Concert works include Heidelberg Frühling Festival where he performed Respighi’s Il Tramonto and Hilda Paredes’ Canciones Lunaticas‚ a work for countertenor and string quartet‚ which had its UK premiere at the Wigmore Hall and other performances with the Arditti Quartet at the Wien Modern in Vienna‚ Festival d’Automne in Paris‚ Edenkoben in Germany and other recitals in Tokyo. Canciones Lunaticas will also be performed at the Edinburgh Festival 2014. Jake recently returned to Heidelberg for a performance of the Pera Ensemble’s Soul to Soul programme which he will perform again in Cologne.
Luciana Mancini
Ottavia/VirtuWebsite: Luciana Mancini – Sorek Artists Management
Chilean-Swedish mezzo soprano Luciana Mancini is internationally in demand for her intense stage presence and vocal expressiveness in repertoire that spans from the Renaissance and Baroque to Berio and Piazzolla.
This season 2024-25 sees her return to MusikTheater an der Wien to reprise her signature role of Maria in Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires and to appear in Combattimenti, a new pastiche with music by Monteverdi. She will perform Messagiera/Orfeo with Christina Pluhar at Mozartwochen Salzburg and Ottavia/Virtù in the acclaimed Ted Huffman’s production of L’incoronazine di Poppea with Nederlandse Reisopera. With Le Poème Harmonique she will appear as Nerone/L’incoronazione di Poppea in Bogotà. In concert she will perform various programs with Christina Pluhar and L’Arpeggiata throughout Europe and Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium with Collegium 1704 and Vaclav Luks.
In recent seasons she performed the title roles of La Cenerentola, Handel’s Serse and Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires at Theater Bonn, Melissa in Francesca Caccini’s La Liberazione at Theater an der Wien and was part of Sasha Waltz’ productions of Monteverdi’s Orfeo and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.
Other opera engagements have led her to Staatsoper Berlin, Teatro Real Madrid, Opéra Comique Paris, Drottningholm Festival, De Nationale Opera Amsterdam, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, Opera de Lille, Bergen, Nationale Reisopera and Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon in roles such as Annio/La Clemenza di Tito, Proserpina/Euridice/Musica/Messagiera in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Zaida in Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia, Ottavia/Virtù in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Panthalis/Mefistofele, Volupia and Didone in Cavalli’s Egisto. With the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Iván Fischer she appeared in various concert and opera projects, featuring works by Monteverdi and Ravel.
Equally sought after in concert, Luciana Mancini has worked with conductors such as Pablo Heras-Casado, Raphaël Pichon, Jordi Savall, René Jacobs, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Jan Willem de Vriend and Juanjo Mena and performed with ensembles like the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Freiburger Barockorchester, Bergen Philharmonic, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Bachconsort Wien, Ensemble Pygmalion, Il Pomo d’Oro, O/Modernt, Orchestra of the 18th Century, Les nouveaux Charactères, Residentie Orkest and Noord Nederlands Orkest at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Händelfestspiele Halle, Musikfestspiele Sansoucci Potsdam, Festivals Chaise-Dieu and Sablé et al.
Most recent releases of her extensive discography include Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans with Ensemble Lorenzo da Ponte and Roberto Zarpellon and Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires with Beethovenorchester Bonnn and Christoph Sprenger, released by Capriccio.
Jake Ingbar
OttoneWebsite: Jake Ingbar, countertenor — Muse Artists International
American countertenor Jake Ingbar makes debuts in the 2024-25 season with Nederlandse Reisopera where he portrays Ottone in Monteverdi’s L'incoronazione di Poppea with Cappella Mediterranea led by Mónica Pustilnik and Semperoper Dresden singing the Witch of Endor in Handel’s Saul with conductor Leo Hussain and director Claus Guth. Last season Mr. Ingbar returned to the Dutch National Opera to perform the role of Narciso in director Barrie Kosky’s production of Handel’s Agrippina with Ottavio Dantone on the podium. He also joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera to cover Countertenor 2 in the contemporary opera-oratorio El Niño by John Adams with Marin Alsop conducting and Lileana Blain-Cruz directing. Additional highlights of the season included being a featured soloist in a two-part work set to a suite of exquisite operatic arias by Handel and his choral work Dixit Dominus with Doug Varone & Dancers, New York Baroque Incorporated, and MasterVoices with Music Director Ted Sperling in New York City; singing 4 Songs from Dark Spring, composed by Hans Thomalla, with Ensemble Ascolta at the Nationaltheater Mannheim in a concert honoring the composer; performing music of Giulio Caccini for the world-premiere of Tu me manques choreographed by Kirsten Wicklund for the Dutch National Ballet. Mr. Ingbar was also a finalist in the Cesti Competition of the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik performing with Talenti Vulcanici under the baton of Stefano Demicheli.
In the 2021-22 season, he made two major house debuts: San Francisco Opera where he performed the role of Leonardo in El último sueño de Frida y Diego, by Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz, conducted by Roberto Kalb and Dutch National Opera where he sang Nireno and covered Tolomeo in Handel's Giulio Cesare led by Emmanuelle Haïm. In the summer of 2022, he joined the prestigious Académie du Festival Aix-en-Provence where he performed in Pergolesi’s Li prodigi della divina grazia nella conversione e morte di san Guglielmo duca d’Aquitania with Les Talens Lyriques led by Christophe Rousset. Mr. Ingbar also has the distinction of making his Het Concertgebouw debut in Amsterdam singing music of Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten with pianist Eytan Pessen.
In previous seasons, Mr. Ingbar performed with Los Angeles Opera to portray Mercury in Landi's La morte d'Orfeo, Colin in Bologne's L'Amant Anonyme, and Angel in Carla Lucero’s Las tres mujeres de Jerusalén, as well as the digital short, Las cinco lunas de Lorca, produced as a stunning tribute to Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca by Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz. He also sang Bach’s Magnificat with the Capella Regia Polona in Warsaw. During 2020, Mr. Ingbar was slated to debut at the Glimmerglass Festival as Il mago cristiano in Handel’s Rinaldo and with the NDR Radiophilharmonie as Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare in Hanover, Germany, before the pandemic forced their cancellation.
Mr. Ingbar has performed at the Aldeburgh Festival, Minnesota Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Guthrie Theatre, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Polish National Opera, with leading conductors as James Conlon, Stephen Stubbs, Gary Wedow, David Stern, and Petr Kotik. In 2022, he was a recipient of the Richard Gold Career Grant and was a winner of the Kennedy Center’s Young Soloists Competition. Previous scholarships were received from the George London Foundation and the Gerda Lissner Foundation. Mr. Ingbar made his professional debut at age ten as a soloist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and has performed throughout North America and Europe ever since. He can be heard as the alto soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms on the album Psalms and Songs featuring the Exultate Choir and Orchestra. Mr. Ingbar also created the role of Karl in the Guthrie Theater presentation of The Master Butchers Singing Club, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman and based on the novel by Louise Erdrich, under the direction of Francesca Zambello.
A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mr. Ingbar is an alumnus of the Juilliard School, Rice University, the Britten-Pears Young Artist Program, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ Gerdine Young Artist Program, the Glimmerglass Opera Young Artist Program, and the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program at the Los Angeles Opera.
Alex Rosen
SenecaWebsite: Alex Rosen | Askonas Holt
American bass, Alex Rosen is quickly finding a home in the concert, operatic, and song repertoire. After completing his studies at the Juilliard School, Alex Rosen made his international debut with Les Arts Florissants, under the direction of William Christie, in two tours of Haydn’s The Creation and Handel’s Acis and Galatea.
This 2024-25 season, Alex makes two house debuts; first, at Opera Köln as Raphael in Haydn’s Die Schöpfungand later as The King of Scotland in Handel’s Ariodante at Opéra national du Rhin. Following these debuts, he will return to work with il Pomo d’Oro on their European tour of Alcina (Melisso), to Dutch National Opera and Ballet for the world premiere of Philip Venables We Are The Lucky Ones, to work with Nederlandse Reisopera in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Seneca) and Festival d'Aix-en-Provence for their new production of Cavalli's La Calisto (Giove). On the concert platform, Alex will sing Handel’s Messiah with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and two performances of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea with Ensemble Cappella Mediterranea.
Last season, Alex joined Theatre de Caen’s tour of David et Jonathas around France, performed the role of Alidoro La Cenerentola with Theatre du Capitole, sung the roles of Parson/Badger The Cunning Little Vixen at Detroit Opera and returned to Aix-en-Provence festival for Monteverdi’s ll ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (Il tempo/Nettuno/Antinuoo). On the concert platform he toured with Les Arts Florissant around Japan and South Korea performing St John’s Passion, sung performances of Handel’s Messiah across Europe with Accentus and Honegger’s Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher with the Berliner Phiharmonic/Alan Gilbert.
Marcel Beekman
Arnalta/Nutrice/Farnigliari 1/DamigellaWebsite: Marcel Beekman | Tenor
“This performance had an unforgettable Platée in the Dutch tenor Marcel Beekman” wrote The New York Times after his international break-through with the title role in Rameau’s opera. Described by Süddeutsche Zeitung as “the master singer who achieves miracles” and praised by Wiener Zeitung for a performance that “was snazzy…even defied gravity”, Amsterdam based Marcel Beekman is renowned for his interpretation of operatic character roles as well as early and contemporary music performances.
Marcel Beekman has performed the great German, French and Italian baroque repertoire all over Europe, the United States, Middle East, South Africa and Japan in major concert venues and festivals with specialized conductors such as William Christie, Leonardo García Alarcón, the late Frans Brüggen, Christophe Rousset, Richard Egarr, Reinhard Goebel, Aapo Häkkinen and António Carrilho. He has performed later repertoire as well with Karina Canellakis, Sir Simon Rattle, Daniele Gatti, Lawrence Renes, Sir Mark Elder, Iván Fischer, Jérémie Rhorer, Claus Peter Flor, Ariane Matiakh, Steven Sloane and Ed Spanjaard, with orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the 18th Century, Les Arts Florissants, Cappella Mediterranea, Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, Collegium 1740, ASKO|Schönberg, Amstel Quartet, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Stavanger Symfoniorkester, Israel Camerata and Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi.
Mr. Beekman is also known for his outstanding ability in more avant-garde repertoire. He has worked extensively with conductors such as the late Reinbert de Leeuw, Sylvain Cambreling, John Adams, Marc Albrecht, Avner Biron and Jonathan Stockhammer in works by Igor Stravinsky, Alban Berg, Benjamin Britten, Nicolas Obouchov, Pascal Dusapin, Edison Denisov, Mauricio Kagel, Witold Lutoslawski, Joseph Bardanashvili, Gottfried von Einem and György Kurtág. Marcel has given many world premières that have been specially composed for his voice: Calliope Tsoupaki [St. Luke’s Passion, Greek Love Songs, Oidípous, Liknón and Exodión], Martijn Padding, Roderik de Man, Micha Hamel, Elmer Schönberger, Jacques Bank, António Chagas Rosa and Jeff Hamburg have written specifically for him, as have the younger generation of Dutch composers such as Reza Namavar, Joost Kleppe, Anke Brouwer, Bart Visman and Matthias Kadar. At the 2021 Bochum Ruhrtriennale he sang the roles of Robert, der Schäfer and Schafbock in Bählamms Fest by Olga Neuwirth conducted by Sylvain Cambreling and directed by Bush Moukarzel & Ben Kidd.
Operatic repertoire includes Berenice L’Ipermestra Cavalli [released on CD in 2019], Nodrice La Finta Pazza Sacrati, the title role in Rameau’s Platée, the title role in Pygmalion and Valère, Damon, Don Carlos Les Indes Galantes Rameau, Maître de Musique and Maître de Chant Les Fêtes Vénitiennes Campra, Nurse Granida P.C. Hooft, Arnalta and Nutrice L’Incoronazione di Poppea [the 2018 Salzburg production is available on CD and DVD at Harmonia Mundi], Eumete Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria and the title role in Orfeo Monteverdi, Lope Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena Conti, Germanico Arminio Biber, Pedrillo Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Basilio and Don Curzio Le Nozze di Figaro Mozart, Skrjagin Skupoy Pashkevich, Monsieur Triquet Eugene Onegin Tchaikovsky, Prince Nilski Igrok Prokofiev, Adrian Der Sturm Martin, Ein Tanzmeister Ariadne auf Naxos, 1., 2. and 4. Jude Salome Strauss [“…the well-executed quintet of bickering Jews was dominated by Marcel Beekman’s lacerant tenor…”], Le Cabaretier Benvenuto Cellini Berlioz [available on DVD], Ulrich Eisslinger Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Wagner, Mime Das Rheingold and Siegfried Wagner, Hauptmann and Narr Wozzeck Alban Berg, Primo Sacerdote Il Prigioniero Dallapiccola, Pégase, Sénéchal and Prêtre L’écume des jours Edison Denisov [International Diaghilev Award 2013], the title role in Jonah the Naysayer Willem Breuker, Arthur Rimbaud Nuit de l’enfer Roderik de Man, Laki Topalović Maratonci Isidora Žebeljan, Zamar Legende Peter-Jan Wagemans, Ricardo Laika Martijn Padding, Casella La Commedia and Pope Innocenzo XI Theatre of the World Louis Andriessen. Dutch national press unanimously applauded him for this latter role, being “a distinctively formidable Pope, touching and brilliant”. Los Angeles Philharmonic released a double CD of the production on the Nonesuch label in autumn 2017 which was nominated for the BBC Music Magazine Awards 2018 in the category opera.
Marcel Beekman has worked at Dutch National Opera, Theater an der Wien, Opéra Comique de Paris, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona [“Beekman made his high tenor shine at the Liceu in a splendid performance” according to Scherzo in 2021], Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, Staatstheater Stuttgart, Salzburger Festspiele, Bregenzer Festspiele, Opéra de Dijon, Opéra Royal de Versailles, Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, Holland Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall New York with directors Robert Carsen, Barrie Kosky, Pierre Audi, Ivo van Hove, Claus Guth, Jean-Yves Ruf, Stefan Herheim, Stéphane Braunschweig, Tatjana Gürbaca [the press referred to Beekman’s Mime in her Vienna Ring-Trilogie of 2017 as “ausgezeichnet“, “mit schnarrendem Tenor ein genial winselnder Mime“, “ungemein wortdeutlich“, “ein köstlich-keifender Mime“ and “il flessuosissimo tenore olandese Marcel Beekman risplende in una parte più che controversa, indossando la kippah“], Hal Hartley, Nicola Raab, Jan Lauwers, Marcel Sijm and Krzysztof Warlikowski. The latter staged DNO’s 2017 production of Wozzeck in which Beekman’s interpretation of Der Hauptmann was described internationally as excellent and outstanding; sadistic and maniacal as well as “eccezionale” and “absolument unique”. The TV-registration of this production was released on DVD.
At the Salzburger Festspiele Marcel Beekman performed the roles of Artistée and Pluton in Offenbach’s Orphée aux Enfers. This successful production [conducted by Enrique Mazzola and directed by Barrie Kosky] is available on DVD at Unitel Edition. “Pour l’union du mot et de la note, c’est à Marcel Beekman que revient la palme, Pluton parfaitement idiomatique, voguant d’un pas léger sur les hauteurs où le mène son ténor stratosphérique” wrote Diapason Magazine, and [according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung] “Der Pluto des brillant singenden Tenors Marcel Beekman, der mit Koloraturen der Königin der Nacht eine virtuose Falsett-Einlage bietet.”
The long lasting effect of the international Platée success led to recording sessions for television, cd and dvd/Blu-ray at Theater an der Wien, the result of which was released at Unitel Edition in the summer of 2021, shortly after this followed by the CD-box at Harmonia Mundi. Austrian press wrote: “Beekman wiederholt seine phänomenal komische wie berührende Leistung”, “Glanzvoll wie einst bei der Premiere dominiert der niederländische Tenor die Szene” and “Vor allem lebt diese Platée aber immer noch von Marcel Beekman in der Titelpartie” whereas Opera Now, The Times and Gramophone unanimously praised him as the true Platée, clearly in the role of his life, physically and emotionally generous and touching.
Les Contes d’Hoffmann -the roles of Andrès, Cochenille, Frantz & Pittichinaccio- by Offenbach [Marc Minkowski and Johannes Erath] at Les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia marked the beginning of 2022, followed by Janácek’s Káta Kabanová [Tichon] with Karina Canellakis at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, a different Platée [staging by Calixto Bieito] in Stuttgart, conducted by Stefano Montanari, and the Nodrice in La Finta Pazza by Sacrati with Leonardo García Alarcón at the NTR Zaterdagmatinee Amsterdam. The CD-box of this opera which was recorded by the same team received the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. In the 22/23 season Marcel Beekman returned to the Utrecht Early Music Festival as well as to Staatsoper Stuttgart [another set of Platée performances under the baton of Benjamin Bayl] and made a smashing debut at Opernhaus Zürich as Bababeck in Offenbach’s Barkouf [Jérémie Rhorer and Max Hopp]. “Für die aberwitzigste Begegnung sorgt Marcel Beekman als Bababeck…halbqueer, irgendwo fluid…seltsam leuchtend großartig” wrote Süddeutsche Zeitung and according to SWR “brilliert der Charaktertenor Marcel Beekman stimmlich wie darstellerisch als der derzeit beste Interpret der so einzigartigen, unerreichten Offenbach-Partien”.
Other recent productions included De betoverde vaatwasser, a radiophonic monodrama by Dutch composer Reza Namavar for tenor and saxophone quartet, the revival of La Finta Pazza at the Opéra Royal de Versailles, the role of Mr. Jones in the resounding successful world premiere of Animal Farm by Alexander Raskatov [Bassem Akiki and Damiano Michieletto] at Dutch National Opera [2023 International Opera Award for best modern production], Golo in Genoveva by Schumann in Helsinki, Düsseldorf and Dresden under Aapo Häkkinen and his Helsinki Baroque Orchestra and Nutrice in L’incoronazione di Poppea [Jordi Savall and Calixto Bieito] at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.
Future engagements: Der Teufel in DORA, a new opera by Bernhard Lang and Frank Witzel at Staatsoper Stuttgart [Elena Schwarz and Elisabeth Stöppler], Evangelist in J.S. Bach’s Matthäus Passion at Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Count Hauk-Šendorf in Věc Makropulos by Leoš Janáček [Alexander Joel and Richard Brunel] at Opéra de Lyon, Iro in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria [Leonardo García Alarcón and Pierre Audi] in Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, followed by productions in Paris, Prague, Berlin, Stuttgart, the Netherlands and Vienna.
Lilian Farahani
Fortuna/DrusillaWebsite: Lilian Farahani - Soprano
Soprano Lilian Farahani performs in opera, musical theater, Lied and oratorio . She strives for theatrical expression in music and has a great affinity for acting.
Lilian Farahani is an internationally sought-after Dutch-Iranian soprano, renowned for her versatility, acting talent, and ability to fully embody her characters. Her expressive performances and captivating stage presence have earned her widespread acclaim.
In spring 2026, she will be the cover for the role of The Bride in ‘Innocence’, the last opera by Kaija Saariaho, at the Metropolitan Opera. A role she previously sang at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Royal Opera House in London, Dutch National Opera and San Francisco Opera. Furthermore, she will sing the role of Musetta (‘La bohéme’) with the Opéra national de Lorraine in Nancy, Caen and Luxembourg.
Her 2024/2025 season includes performances at the Dutch Touring Opera with ‘The Pirate Queen’, a new opera by Monique Krüs and as Drusilla/Fortuna in ‘L’incoronazione di Poppea’.
Lilian has sung on the major Dutch stages with companies such as Dutch National Opera, Opera Zuid and Dutch Touring Opera, but also in the opera houses of Nancy, Bern, Essen, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and the International Maifestspiele Wiesbaden. Her repertoire includes Mozart roles such as Pamina (‘Zauberflöte’), Despina (‘Così fan tutte’), Zerlina (‘Don Giovanni’) and Susanna (‘Le nozze di Figaro’). But also Gretel (‘Hänsel und Gretel’), Carolina (‘Il matrimonio segreto’), Musetta (‘La bohème’) and Frasquita (‘Carmen’).
Lilian has worked with stage directors such as Simon McBurney, Lotte de Beer, Laurent Pelly, Monique Wagemakers, Simon Stone and Ted Huffman, with conductors such as Gianandrea Noseda, Raphaël Pichon, Antony Hermus, Ed Spanjaard, Patrick Fournillier, Kenneth Montgomery, Antonello Manacorda, Sacha Goetzel and Susanna Mälkki, with orchestras like the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, The Hague Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Ensemble Pygmalion, London Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, The Netherlands Wind Ensemble, Essener Philharmoniker, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and members of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
Besides opera, operette and the classical repertoire of Lieder, Lilian feels at home singing contemporary works. Besides Saariaho’s ‘Innocence’, she sang leading roles in ‘Anne and Zef’ by Monique Krüs, Death Knocks’ (Christian Jost) and ‘The infernal comedy’ by Michael Sturminger with the Dutch National Theater. In the spring of 2019, her debut CD ‘Woman – the making of…’ with works of Jake Heggie, was released, along with pianist Maurice Lammerts van Bueren. In her second CD, ‘Nomad’ (2024), Lilian performs Persian Folk Songs by the contemporary Iranian composer Reza Vali.
Lucia Martin Carton
Amore/ValettoWebsite: Lucía Martín-Cartón • Salzburg Festival
Lucía Martín-Cartón was born in Valladolid (Spain), where she studied violin and singing. She graduated from the Conservatorio Superior de Música ‘Joaquín Rodrigo’ in Valencia, and went on to win the first prize in the Ancient and Baroque Repertoire category at the Renata Tebaldi Competition.
She has appeared as Zerlina (Don Giovanni) in Milan and Florence under Simone Toni, as Irène in Campra’s Les Fêtes vénitiennes at the Festival Dans les Jardins under William Christie, and as Novia in Sebastián Durón’s La guerra de los gigantes and Siringa in Durón’s El imposible mayor en amor, le vence Amor at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid under Leonardo García Alarcón, in a production by Gustavo Tambascio.
Other appearances include Aragne in Draghi’s El Prometeo at the Opéra de Dijon conducted by Alarcón and directed by Tambascio; Musica and Olimpia in Rossi’s Il palazzo incantato conducted by Alarcón and directed by Fabrice Murgia at the opera houses of Dijon, Nancy and Versailles; Nymph of the Seine, Afflicted Woman and Shade in Lully’s Alceste at the Festival de Beaune and the Opéra royal du château de Versailles under Christophe Rousset; Soprano Solo in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen at L’Auditori de Barcelona under Jordi Savall; Musica and Euridice (L’Orfeo) with Le Concert des Nations in Leipzig and the title role in Stradella’s La Susanna at Brooklyn Academy of Music and Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Other operatic roles include Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Amore in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and Venus in John Blow’s Venus and Adonis.
Recent opera appearances include Morgana (Alcina) in Damiano Michieletto’s production at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino conducted by Gianluca Capuano, and Teofane (Ottone) at the Handel Festival in Karlsruhe directed by Carlos Wagner and conducted by Carlo Ipata.
Her oratorio repertory includes Bach’s Magnificat and Cantatas BWV 8, 10, 51, 61 and 114, Mozart’s Requiem and Exsultate, jubilate, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Schubert’s Mass in G major, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Orff’s Carmina Burana and Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine. She has sung Abra in Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans under Savall in Paris, Salzburg and Verona, and on a recording for AliaVox. In 2017 she toured Australia singing Handel’s Messiah with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra under Paul Dyer.
She has appeared as Misaele and Superbia in Falvetti’s Il Nabucco and as La Natura Humana and Aria in Falvetti’s ll diluvio universale with Cappella Mediterranea at venues including the Opéra de Lille, the Chapelle royale de Versailles and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.
Lucía Martín-Cartón appears on recordings for Warner Classics, Brilliant, Ricercar, Harmonia mundi and Aparté, and has also participated in live recordings for Radio France, Radio Clásica, Catalunya Música and Musiq’3 in Belgium.
Steven van der Linden
Lucano/Soldato 1/Farnigliari 2Website: Steven van der Linden - Tenor
Steven van der Linden is a young tenor from Utrecht, the Netherlands. He is currently a member of the Opera Studio at Dutch National Opera, under the tutelage of Rosemary Joshua.
Van der Linden regularly appears in recitals, oratorios and operas in The Netherlands, Germany, The United Kingdom and Spain and has sung in venues like Barbican Hall, Opera Holland Park, Glyndebourne, Milton Court Concert Hall, Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Berliner Dom and Teatro Pérez Galdós.
Future plans include singing in the Ted Huffman production of L’incoronazione di Poppea for the Reisopera in April 2025. Steven was a finalist in the 2024 Kathleen Ferrier Awards in the Wigmore Hall.
Steven is supported by The Worshipful Company of Grocers, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, VandenEnde Foundation and Countess of Munster fund. Steven a Josephine Baker trustee and a Samling Artist.
Riccardo Romeo
Liberto/Soldato 2Website: Biography - Riccardo Romeo Tenor
Riccardo Romeo was born in Augsburg, the son of Italian parents, and grew up bilingual. He studied voice at the HfMDK Frankfurt am Main with Prof. Berthold Possemeyer and at the CNSM de Paris in France in the class of Yves Sotin. Since the 2024/25 season, he has been a member of the soloist ensemble at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf.
In his youth he sang in various choirs of the Augsburg Albert Greiner Sing- und Musikschule as well as in the children’s and youth choirs of the Augsburg Theatre. His first experiences on the operatic stage came early on, when he sang the role of the little shepherd boy in Tosca in 2005, and various subsequent children’s operas in the “Komödie Augsburg”.
During his studies, he performed as a guest at the Staatstheater Nuremberg, Staatstheater Darmstadt and the Oper Frankfurt. In the summer of 2018, Riccardo appeared as Monostatos in the production of the Magic Flute (La flûte enchantée) at the Escales Lyriques festival on Île d’Yeu in France. In the 2018/19 season he also appeared as Basilio (Mozart) in the Stadttheater Gießen, as Ecclitico (Haydn) in the annual production of the CNSM de Paris, and as Prince Ramiro (Isouard) at the Opéra de Saint-Étienne. In the season 19/20 he was engaged as Gastone (La Traviata, Verdi) at the Zénith d’Orléans and as Soldato 2/Liberto in L’Incoronazione di Poppea at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
In the 2020/21 season, he was a member of the ensemble at the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Landestheater and from 2021-2024 a soloist at the Dresden State Operetta, where he expanded his repertoire to include operetta and classic musical. His roles included, among others, Sigismund Sülzheimer (Im Weißen Rössl), Juan Damigo (Clivia, Nico Dostal) and Tobias Ragg (Sweeney Todd, Sondheim).
Riccardo has already taken part in several master classes with Mireille Alcantara, Enza Ferrari, Helmut Deutsch, Axel Bauni, William Christie and Veronique Gens, among others. He is also a Fondation Royaumont scholarship holder.
Yannis Francois
Littore/Farnigliari 3Website: Home | Welcome - Yannis François
About
Yannis François,
Bass-Baritone/Dancer
Born in Guadeloupe, Yannis François began is carrer as a dancer with Lena Blou. He entered the École- Atelier Rudra Béjart in Lausanne and later became a member of the Béjart Ballet (Compagnie M). During the singing lessons which were a part of this dance school studies, Maurice Béjart was impressed by Yannis' voice and encouraged him to fully explore a singing career parallel to the ballet. He studied with Gary Magby and was graduated with his master's degree in Classical Singing at the Conservatoire de Lausanne (CH).
On the opera stage, Yannis has sung the title role in Don Giovanni by Mozart, Curio in Giulio Cesare beside Andreas Scholl, Peter Quince in A Midsummer night's dream by Britten, Sasha in Moscow Cheryomushki by Shostakovitch, Melisso in Alcina by Händel, Isacius in Richardus Primus by Telemann (Giessen, Michael Hofstetter), Seneca in L'incoronazione di Poppea and Plutone in Monteverdi's Orfeo both with Leonardo Garcìa Alarcòn, the title-role in Eights Songs for a Mad King by Peter Maxwell Davies, Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas in Staatsoper Berlin (Sasha Walz, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin), Le chef des Matelots in Alcione by Marais conducted by Jordi Savall in Opéra de Versailles, Gaveston in La Dame Blanche by Boieldieu.
In concert, he sang the Bass Solo part in several oratorios such as Mass in B minor (Vaclav Luks, Collegium 1704), Johannes-Passion by J.S Bach (Ton Koopman), Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri, and this season Mozart's Requiem in Philharmonie de Paris. He has appeared as a soloist with other conductors such as Ottavio Dantone, Gabriel Garrido, Christina Pluhar, Paul Agnew, Sébastien Daucé, Lars Ulrich Mortensen, among others.
From 2019 Yannis is mentored by Barbara Hannigan in her Equilibrium Young Artists programme and sang Nick Shadow in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress by Stravinski in Brussels, California, and Aldeburgh, conducted by Hannigan herself.
One of his projects in 2021 is Lucifer in Cain overo Il Primo Omicidio by Scarlatti at Salzburg Festival, conducted by Philippe Jaroussky.
Next season he will sing Mercury in Cupid and Death by Matthew Locke with Ensemble Correspondances (Sebastien Daucé) in Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord and Opéra de Caen, then in Le Malade imaginaire (Charpentier) and Le Mariage forcé (Lully) with Le Concert Spirituel (Hervé Niquet).
Given his passion and knowledge in forgotten or rare music repertoires, Yannis is regularly hired to research and create CD programmes for artists such as Jakub Józef Orliński (Anima Sacra, Facce d'Amore, Anima Aeterna), Philippe Jaroussky (La Vanità del mondo), Julie Fuchs (Mademoiselle), Michael Spyres, Jeanine de Bique, Bruno de Sà (Roma Travestita), Lea Desandre (Amazone).
He is the founder of Editions Charybde & Scylla.
Cappella Mediterranea
OrkestWebsite: Accueil
Cappella Mediterranea was founded in 2005 by the Swiss-Argentinian conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón, originally to serve Latin Baroque music. Ten years on, its repertoire has diversified: with over fifty concerts a year, the ensemble explores madrigal, polyphonic motet and opera. In just a few years, the ensemble has made a name for itself with the rediscovery of previously unpublished works such as Michelangelo Falvetti's Il Diluvio universale and Nabucco, as well as with new versions of works from the repertoire such as Monteverdi's L'Orfeo and Bach's Mass in B minor.
In residence at the Opéra de Dijon between 2018 and 2020, the ensemble has produced a series of rediscoveries of works such as Draghi's El Prometeo, Sacrati's La Finta pazza in 2019 and Rossi's Il Palazzo incantato in 2020. The ensemble takes part in the triumph of Rameau's Indes Galantes at the Opéra Bastille, recognized as the best production of 2019 by Forumopéra and the New York Times. In 2022, Cappella Mediterranea makes a name for itself with two successful opera productions: Lully's Atys in Geneva and Versailles, staged by Angelin Preljocaj, and Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea staged by Ted Huffman at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, and subsequently revived in Versailles, Valence and Toulon. In 2024, the ensemble takes part in its first Mozart opera, Idomeneo, at Grand Théâtre de Genève, before an audacious rereading of Bach's St John Passion, choreographed by Sasha Waltz, in Salzburg, Dijon and in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Cappella Mediterranea's discography includes over thirty critically acclaimed recordings. Recent releases include Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (Alpha classic, 2021) and Sacrati's La Finta pazza (Château de Versailles Spectacles, 2022). In 2024 is published Amore Siciliano (Alpha) and in 2025 Philippe d'Orléans' La Jérusalem délivrée before Lully’s Atys (Château de Versailles Spectacles).
Cappella Mediterranea is supported by the Ministry of Culture - DRAC Auvergne Rhône Alpes, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the City of Geneva, a Swiss family foundation, a Geneva private foundation, Brigitte Lescure, Hugues & Emma Lavandier, Christian & Margaret Hureau and by its Circle of Friends and its Circle of Entrepreneurs with Diot-Siac, Chatillon Architects, Synapsys and 400 Partners
Aline Foriel-Destezet is the main sponsor of Cappella Mediterranea.
Vincent Meyer supports Cappella Mediterranea's concerts at La Cité Bleue.
Cappella Mediterranea is a member of the Fevis (Federation of Specialized Vocal and Instrumental Ensembles) and CNM (National Center of Music).
CAPPELLA MEDITERRANEA
Viool - Laura Corolla, Pablo Agudo Lopez
Viola da gamba - Martin Bauer*
Cello - Karolina Pływaczewska*
Contrabas- Chloé Lucas*, Michael Chanu* (afwisselend)
Cornetto / blokfluit- Cathérine Renno, Clément Gester
Aartsluit- Élodie Brzustowski*
Theorbe - Giorgia Zanin*
Harp- Manon Papasergio*
Klavecimbel- Francesco Addabbo
Klavecimbel / orgel- Adrià Gràcia Gàlvez
* = musici in het basso continuo
Met dank aan:
Assistent-dirigent Pedro Beriso
Assistent-regisseur Anne Slothouwer
Assistent lichtontwerper Laurent Irsuti
Voorstellingsleider Alessandro Rossetti
Repetitor Adrià Gràcia Gàlvez, Amy Chang
Taalcoach Caterina Galiotto
Intimiteitscoördinator Milou van Sommeren
Boventiteling Jurjen Stekelenburg
Orkestmanagers Frédéric Mazin, Adeline Rahms, Manon Pidoux
Kostuums
Ans Collet, Els Polman
Kap/Grime
Birgit van Dijk, Zoë van Dijk
Decor & techniek
Marcel Fekkes, Willem Janssen, Marc Klaver, Herber Molemaker, Albert Jan ten Napel, Eline Oonk, Rob van Putten, Arjan Reef, David Scheidler, Robin Varenbrink, Harry Vos, Ruben Wessels, Martijn Zeinstra.
Artistiek bureau & casting
Renée Middelhuis
Educatie & Participatie
Annina Romita
Speciale dank aan alle technici en medewerkers van het Wilminktheater & Muziekcentrum Enschede en alle technici en medewerkers van de theaters tijdens de tour.
VOLKSKRANT ★★★★ ‘L’Incoronazione di Poppea’ is een heerlijke productie, met hoogstaande zang en gulzige smakzoenen
“Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea door De Nationale Reisopera is goed gezongen, goed geacteerd en uitermate sensueel.”
[...]
“Countertenor Jake Arditti geeft met zijn kanonstem Nero psychopathische trekjes, maar zet vooral een overtuigend verliefde, sexy en wellustige man neer. De evenzo sexy sopraan Catherine Trottmann gaat als Poppea recht op haar doel (Nero) af, sterk zingend en begerig bewegend. Huffman plaatst haar in de scène waarin Nero en zijn hofdichter Lucano over haar fantaseren. Nu is het een uitermate sensueel triootje, waarin jonge tenor Steven van der Linden als Lucano z’n mannetje staat.”
[...]
“Voeg hieraan toe de humoristische rol van Marcel Beekman als potige huishoudster, de hartstochtelijk acterende en zingende Lilian Farahani als een daadkrachtige Drusilla en ieders gulzige gesmakzoen en je hebt een heerlijke productie. Alleen de reusachtige, zwart-witte rioolbuis zwevend boven het toneel, blijft nogal vaag. Staat hij voor het schemergebied van goed en slecht in ieder mens?”
“Goed gezongen, goed geacteerd en uitermate sensueel.””
VOLKSKRANT ★★★★
De Nederlandse Reisopera maakt een even sensuele als rauwe vertolking, die in alles overtuigt.
[...]
“De veelal jonge zangers hebben zich in de aangenaam sobere enscenering van regisseur Ted Huffman – vooral stoelen en tafels – met veel flair en overtuiging geworpen op de liefdesverwikkelingen aan het hof van de beruchte Romeinse keizer Nero. De vonken vlogen zelfs dusdanig in het rond, dat het niemand kon verbazen dat het programmaboekje ook de intimiteitscoördinator maar even apart vermeldde. Zowel het acteren als zingen was sensueel en rauw tegelijk.”
[...]
“L’incoronazione kent een zangerscast zonder zwakheden, opgezweept door het barokensemble Cappella Mediterranea onder leiding van Mónica Pustilnik. De opera fascineert van begin tot einde, bijna drie uur lang; of je het nu ‘verkoopt’ als een werk over onze eigen tijd – wat regisseur Huffman doet – of als een klassiek drama. Monteverdi blijft in al zijn pracht en betekenis stralen.”
“Een even sensuele als rauwe vertolking, die in alles overtuigt.”
NRC ★★★★
TROUW ★★★ “Een sublieme theatrale ervaring”
“De première van de opera door de Nederlandse Reisopera in Enschede was een sublieme theatrale ervaring. Thema’s als jaloezie, hebzucht, ambitie en lust kwamen allemaal langs. Je had geen moment het idee naar een bijna 400 jaar oude opera te luisteren.”
“Gelukkig viel er ook heel wat te lachen. Dat was in het geheel op het conto van de Nederlandse zanger Marcel Beekman te schrijven. Hij kwam in enkele vrouwenrollen (waaronder Arnalta) voorbij en deed dat met stevig aangezette humor. Zo was het tijdens het stofzuigen alsof hij korte metten maakte met de rommel van Nero. Zijn logge bewegingen en harde stemgeluid beantwoordde het publiek met schaterlachen.”
“Muzikaal kwam er veel prachtigs uit de orkestbak. Waar barokorkest Cappella Mediterranea in de Sinfonia nog een beetje op gang moest komen, toverde dirigent Mónica Pustilnik verderop de mooiste klankkleuren uit het ensemble.”
“Een sublieme theatrale ervaring”
TROUW ★★★
PLACE DE L’OPERA Topzang kroont Poppea Reisopera
“Met L’incoronazione di Poppea zet de Nederlandse Reisopera een kroon op het toch al zeer succesvolle seizoen 24-25. De première in het Wilminktheater in Enschede op 5 april liet een keur aan prachtige zangers zien en horen in een productie die in zijn eenvoud memorabel was.”
“De handeling wordt zonder al te veel opdringerige toevoegingen naar een onbepaald ‘heden’ verplaats. Huffman gaat daarbij een zeker mate van actualisering niet uit de weg, maar doet dat door middel van sterk verhalend (muziek)theater. De inhoud wordt daardoor tijdloos en dus ook relevant. De personenregie van Hoffman is gedetailleerd en zorgt er voor dat alle in totaal eenentwintig rollen door de negen zangers overtuigend weergegeven worden. De aankleding is stijlvol hedendaags, met jurken en kostuums (ontworpen door Astrid Klein) die de sensualiteit van het drama benadrukken."
[...]
“De zangers hebben éen voor éen uitstekende dictie en vertolken hun rollen vol zeggingskracht. Jake Arditti laat zich als Nerone zien en horen als krachtige, macho countertenor met een groot en mooi geluid. Hij bouwt de rol zorgvuldig op van een verliefde man tot een kwaadaardige potentaat. Poppea is in de karakterisering van Catherine Trottmann misschien niet enorm gelaagd, maar zeer lyrisch en prachtig gevocaliseerd. Haar ambitieuze kant als courtisane die het hogerop zoekt, is misschien wat onderbelicht, maar als de verliefde Poppea is ze indrukwekkend en sexy.”
“Een keur aan prachtige zangers was te zien en te horen in een productie die in zijn eenvoud memorabel was.”
Place de L'Opéra
THEATERKRANT "Een prima doordachte versie van Monteverdi's meesterwerk"
"Regisseur Ted Huffmann Huffman gebruikt een beproefd recept: de voltallige cast is bij voortduring op toneel en het wekt de suggestie dat er sprake is van een gezelschap dat elke avond opnieuw een van hun repertoirestukken laat zien.
Hij beperkt zich tot de zwijgende aanwezigheid van het hele of een deel van tableau de la troupe bij elke scène. Op spaarzame momenten komt het echt tot interactie tussen deze getuigen en de daders, bijvoorbeeld in de scène van Nutrice, als de mannen allemaal figureren als herinneringen aan haar voorbije jeugd."
[...]
"De zangprestaties zijn voortreffelijk, over de hele linie. Poppea, Ottavia en Drusilla zijn prima gecast en spelen hun karakters met overgave. Jake Arditti is elke casting directors droom voor de rol van Nerone. Jake Ingbar maakt van Ottone een prachtig getormenteerd karakter, misschien de enige met een rudimentair moreel kompas."
Alex Rosens Seneca toont een man in de kracht van zijn leven, vol energie en autoriteit. Zijn grote scène met Nero, trefzeker geregisseerd aan een lange tafel, is een van de terechte hoogtepunten van de voorstelling."
“De zangprestaties zijn voortreffelink”
Theaterkrant
Dagblad van het Noorden ★★★★★ "Zwoele lentekriebels in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea"
"Nerone (Arditti) leefde zich uit in zijn rol, met kernachtige nuances. Passie en liefde kwamen op de eerste plaats maar ook zijn vileine kant klonk fantastisch.
[...]
"Mezzo-sopraan Luciana Mancini weet dat ze verslagen is; met haar rijke warme klank bezingt ze terneergeslagen haar verdriet in de aria Addio Roma."
[...]
"De verleidelijke liefdeszang van de frêle Poppea en de macho Nero kende eigenlijk geen grenzen. Hun stemtimbres vloeiden samen tot één stem in hun prachtige liefdesduet Pur ti miro."
[...]
"Ook in de solo’s was het lichte timbre van sopraan Catherine Trottmann superieur en uiterst lenig vertolkte zij de virtuoze Monteverdiaanse versieringen met behoud van volume en expressie. "
[...]
"Met al dit flamboyante zang-, dans- en acteertalent van de Nederlandse Reisopera vlogen de drie uren voorbij."
“Met al dit flamboyante zang-, dans- en acteertalent van de Nederlandse Reisopera vlogen de drie uren voorbij.”
Dagblad van het Noorden ★★★★★
