Opera Agrippina - George Frideric Handel (3 CDs + bonus DVD "Facing Agrippina")

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin - Chamber ensemble

René Jacobs - Conductor

Alex Penda - Soprano (Agrippina)

Jennifer Rivera - Mezzo-soprano (Nerone)

Sunhae Im - Soprano (Poppea)

Bejun Mehta - Countertenor (Ottone)

Marcos Fink - Bass (Claudio)

Neal Davies - Bass (Pallante)

Dominique Visse - Countertenor (Narciso)

Daniel Schmutzhard - Bass (Lesbo)

After his acclaimed explorations of such Handel operas as Giulio Cesare and Rinaldo, René Jacobs now tackles the first great operatic success of the ‘caro Sassone’ (Venice, 1710), the climax of his Italian period. This version reconstructs the work in its original conception, the only one to combine explosive topicality with extreme dramatic cogency. As a result, this tale of amorous intrigues against a background of Roman history, the ‘prequel’ to Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, emerges more fascinating than ever.