Opera

Agrippina

Georg Friedrich Händel

16 May, 19

Opera in concert version

Agrippina
Opera in concert version

3H15

REST 25 MINUTES

16 May 19

Date

20:00

Time

One of the greatest triumphs in the life of Georg Friedrich Händel was Agrippina , an opera replete with intrigue, cynicism and humour. A veritable constellation of stars brings life to this Roman thriller: Joyce DiDonato, Franco Fagioli, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Luca Pisaroni and Jakub Józef Orlinski. Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev leads his acclaimed orchestra, Il Pomo d’Oro.


Dramma per musica in three acts

Music by Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)
Libretto by Vincenzo Grimani
 
Premiered at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo of Venice on 26 December 1709
Premiered at the Teatro Real on 2 November 2009
 
Opera in concert version

Il Pomo d'Oro


Artistic Team

Musical director and Clef I Maxim Emelyanychev

 

Cast

Agrippina I Joyce DiDonato 
Poppea I  Elsa Benoit 
Claudio I  Luca Pisaroni 
Ottone/Giunone I  Marie-Nicole Lemieux 
Nerone I  Franco Fagioli 
Pallante I  Andrea Mastroni 
Narciso I  Carlo Vistoli 
Lesbo I  Biagio Pizzuti

Language

Italian

Subtitles in

Spanish, English

  • Apertura de puertas: una hora antes del comienzo de la función
  • Parte I: 1 hora y 25 minutos
  • Pausa: 25 minutos
  • Parte II: 1 hora y 25 minutos
               

Synopsis of Agrippina

Written in the latter part of the three years that a young Georg Friedrich Händel spent in Italy, Agrippina is developed around the conspiracy that the mother of Nero was scheming to put into place so that her son could seize the position occupied by the Emperor Claudius. The libretto, based on a free interpretation of an ancient Roman story, is plagued with political intrigues and a good dose of black humor, cynicism and irony. Much of what is included in the opera proceeds from the music that the composer had already written previously: only five of the arias are new compositions.

This, far from eliminating interest in the score, makes evident the capacity of the musician to select, combine, and complement ideas already conceived, placing them in a brilliant way to the service of the plot of the work. Agrippina is an outstanding summary, more than a zenith, of the Händel’s Italian compositions. In this work we can already see the unmistakable quill of the composer, but at the same time we witness a work full of imagination in which his thirst for experimenting can be glimpsed. His première in Venice had already achieved a thunderous success, and contributed to nourish a reputation which would continue in irrepressible ascent upon his arrival to London.

Act I

When her husband, the Roman emperor Claudius (Claudio), is apparently drowned at sea, Agrippina plots for her son Nero (Nerone) to be his successor. In fact Claudius has been saved by Otho (Ottone) and the immminent coronation of Nero is abandoned. Otho arrives and tells Agrippina that Claudius, in gratitude, has appointed him his successor. He also tells her that he is in love with Poppea. Agrippina, aware that Claudius also loves Poppea, tells Poppea that Otho has agreed to give her to Claudius in return for the crown. She suggests to Poppea that by telling Claudius that Otho has refused Poppea access to him, the emperor will dismiss Otho from the throne.

Act II

Otho claims his reward from Claudius who denounces him as a traitor. He is then vilified by Agrippina, Poppea and Nero. But Poppea begins to doubt his guilt, and eventually Otho convinces her of his innocence. Agrippina then tells Claudius that Otho is plotting against him and persuades him to appoint Nero emperor.

Act III

Poppea explains to Claudius that whereas she once thought Otho had betrayed him, it was in fact Nero, whom she then reveals hiding behind a curtain in her room. Claudius dismisses his stepson, who informs his mother of Poppea’s treachery. Agrippina confronts Claudius, berates him for succumbing to Poppea’s influence, and claims that Otho loves Poppea, thereby forcing Claudius to summon all three. He orders Nero to marry Poppea and leaves the succession with Otho, who requests that he might forgo the crown for Poppea’s hand in marriage. Claudius agrees, and blesses Poppea and Otho’s marriage.

Agrippina, de Georg Friedrich Händel

Programa de Mano

application/pdf 3.03 MB

Performances

  • Date/hour
  • Space
  • Cast
  • Subscription ticket

16 May 2019

20:00

Main Auditorium

Joyce DiDonato, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Franco Fagioli, Luca Pisaroni, Jakub Józef Orlinski
Subscription tickets H

Parallel activities

Proyección

What's OnFilmoteca Española

Proyección en torno a la producción del Teatro Real. Febrero de 2019. Fecha por determinar.

06

February

2019

Visita Guiada

What's OnMuseo Arqueológico Nacional

Recorrido por las salas de la Hispania romana. 17 de mayo, 18.00h. Actividad gratuita (máximo 20 personas).

17

May

2019

18:00

Tocando la historia

What's OnMuseo Arqueológico Nacional

Cara a cara con Agripina (y familia). Acceso a la cámara acorazada del museo. 14 de mayo, 18.00h; 16 de mayo, 12.00h Actividad gratuita (máximo 10 personas por sesión)

14

May

2019

18:00

Conferencia

What's OnMuseo Arqueológico Nacional

Agrippina, princesa Julio-Claudia, a cargo de Ángeles Castellano. 21 de febrero, 19.00h.

21

February

2019

19:00

Actividad Teatralizada

What's OnMuseo de Arte Romano de Mérida

Agripina vs. Nerón: una madre para un emperador. Un acercamiento diferente a la historia. 18 de mayo, 22.00h. Actividad gratuita

18

May

2019

22:00

news

Ignacio García-Belenguer will preside Opera Europa

- 13 Jan, 2023

Ignacio García-Belenguer, General Director of Teatro Real Madrid, has been unanimously elected after having held th…

See more

A VERY SPECIAL ‘TRAVIATA’

- 30 Jul, 2020

   

See more

PERFORMING OPERA IS POSSIBLE AND SAFE IN MADRID

- 30 Jul, 2020

 

See more

Se cancelan las funciones de la ópera Lear

- 17 Mar, 2020

Madrid, 17 de marzo de 2020.- El Teatro Real, con motivo de la declaración del estado de alarma, procedió el pasado…

See more

Are you an Amigo del Teatro Real yet?

Live the Teatro Real experience beyond its wonderful productions and you will contribute to elevating our institutional project.