Canadian mezzo-soprano Meredith Hall portrays Poppea in this classic tale of desire triumphing over virtue. Making their HGO debuts are Canadian countertenor Matthew White as Poppea's former lover Ottone, American soprano Peggy Kriha Dye as the noblewoman Drusilla, and Canadian tenor Gerald Isaac in the comic role of Poppea's nurse Arnalta. Houston Grand Opera Studio bass Oren Gradus sings the role of the great philosopher Seneca. Gerard Gauci makes his HGO debut as set designer, Dora Rust-D'Eye creates the costumes, and Kevin Fraser designs the lighting for this production. Opera Atelier's David Fallis will conduct members of the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra on period instruments, and the Houston Grand Opera Chorus will be prepared by Chorus Master Richard Bado.
Single tickets are now on sale.
The matinee performances of March 11 and 18 will feature Houston Grand Opera Studio mezzo-soprano Marie Lenormand in the title role. After a brief revival in 1651, the work lay dormant for over two hundred years until it was rediscovered in the late 19th century. In the last few decades, it has finally taken its rightful place as one of the most important works of all opera literature, comparable with the masterpieces of Mozart and Verdi. With its timeless story of lust and ambition in high places, its vividly drawn characters, and a musical language perfectly depicting the gamut of human emotion, the opera speaks with a relevance that the centuries have not dimmed. With Toronto's Opera Atelier she has appeared as Mary Magdalene in Handel's Il Resurrezione, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and Donna Elvira in that company's millennial tour of Don Giovanni to Japan.