
Overview
Synopsis
Agrippina will do anything she can to see her son Nerone as the Emperor of Rome. When she hears that her husband, the Emperor Claudio, has died at sea she wastes no time in mourning, and with Claudio having no blood-heir, publicly announces Nerone’s succession. Her haste causes great embarrassment when Claudio returns, alive and well and proclaiming his rescuer, Ottone, as his successor. More determined than ever, Agrippina will use any means necessary to take down Ottone, and plays on men’s weakness for a beautiful woman. She comes up with a plan to use their affections for Poppea, a beautiful courtesan, to set Claudio and Ottone against each other.
But, Agrippina’s ambition is truly blinding. She has no idea that Poppea’s morality, and love for Ottone, will ultimately ruin her plans to have Ottone killed. She also could not imagine her former slaves betraying her to the Emperor himself. Agrippina manages to avoid Claudio’s wrath by persuading him that she was only acting in his favor, and, being the fair and trusting leader that he is, Claudio makes everyone happy by declaring Nerone as the successor, and giving up Poppea to Ottone.
Telling the story of the Emperor Nero’s rise to power, it is no surprise that Handel’s Agrippina is a story of ambition, betrayal, lust, power, conspiracy, deceit, and revenge; foreshadowing the events of Nero’s reign. This opera is rapidly becoming one of Handel’s best loved works, with its expertly crafted score rivalling his own Giulio Cesare. The 2019 Barrie Kosky production at The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, championed by and starring Joyce Didonato, is still winning audiences with its tagline: ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’.
Show Information
- Music
- George Frederic Handel
- Libretto
- Vincenzo Grimani
- Category
- Opera
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1710
- Genres
- Drama, Historical/Biographical
- Settings
- Multiple Settings, Period
- Time & Place
- Rome, 1st century A.D.
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Small
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- Star Vehicle Female, Professional Opera, College/University, Mostly Female Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
---|---|---|---|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano |
|
Lead |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Countertenor |
|
Lead |
Either Gender |
Contralto, Countertenor |
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
Lead |
Male |
Bass |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Bass |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Countertenor, Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto |
|
Featured |
Male |
Bass |
|
Featured |
Female |
Contralto |
Songs
Sinfonia Act One
Scene One
-
Recitative ‘Nerone, amato figlio’ - Agrippina, Nerone
-
Aria ‘Col saggio tuo consiglio’ - Nerone
Scene Two
- Recitative ‘Per cosi grand’impresa’ - Agrippina
Scene Three
-
Recitative ‘A’ cenni tuoi sovrani’ - Pallante, Agrippina
-
Aria ‘La mia sorte fortunata’ - Pallante
Scene Four
- Recitative ‘Or che Pallante e vinto’ - Agrippina
Scene Five
-
Recitative ‘Umile alle tue piante…’ - Narciso, Agrippina
-
Aria ‘Volo pronto e lieto il core’ - Narciso
Scene Six
-
Recitative ‘Quanto fa’ - Agrippina
-
Aria ‘L’alma mia fra le tempeste’ - Agrippina
Scene Seven
- Recitativo Accompagnato ‘Qual piacer a un cor pietoso’ - Nerone
Scene Eight
- Recitative ‘Ecco chi presto’ - Pallante, Narciso, Nerone
Scene Nine
-
Recitative ‘Voi, che dell’alta Roma’ - Agrippina
-
Quartet ‘Il tuo figlio / La tua prole’ - Agrippina, Nerone, Narciso, Pallante
-
Recitative ‘Ma qual di liete trombe’ - Agrippina
Scene Ten
-
Arioso ‘Allegrezza, allegrezza!’ - Lesbo
-
Recitative ‘Che sento!’ - Lesbo, Pallante, Agrippina, Narciso, Nerone
Scene Eleven
- Recitative ‘Alle tue piante, o Augusta’ - Ottone, Pallante, Agrippina, Narciso, Nerone
Scene Twelve
-
Recitative ‘Augusta, amo Poppea’ - Ottone, Agrippina
-
Aria ‘Tu ben degno’ - Agrippina
Scene Thirteen
-
Recitative ‘L’ultima del gioir’ - Ottone
-
Aria ‘Lusinghiera mia speranza’ - Ottone
Scene Fourteen
-
Aria ‘Vaghe perle’ - Poppea
-
Recitative ‘Otton, Claudio, Nerone’ - Poppea
Scene Fifteen
- Recitative ‘Signora, a mia signora!’ - Lesbo, Poppea
Scene Sixteen
- Recitative ‘Di lieta nuova’ - Lesbo, Agrippina, Poppea
Scene Seventeen
-
Recitative ‘Perche invece di Claudio’ - Poppea
-
Aria ‘E un foco quel d’amore’ - Poppea
Scene Eighteen
-
Recitative ‘Ma qui Agrippina viene’ - Agrippina, Poppea
-
Aria ‘Ho un non so che nel cor’ - Agrippina
Scene Nineteen
- Recitative ‘Cieli, quai strani casi’ - Poppea
Scene Twenty
- Recitative ‘Non veggo alcun’ - Lesbo
Scene Twenty-One
-
Aria ‘Pur ritorno a rimirarvi’ - Claudio
-
Recitative ‘Ma, o ciel, mesta e confusa’ - Claudio, Poppea
-
Aria ‘Vieni, o cara’ - Claudio
-
Recitative ‘Che mai faro?’ - Poppea, Claudio
Scene Twenty-Two
-
Recitative ‘Signor, Signor, presto’ - Lesbo, Claudio, Poppea
-
Trio ‘E quando mai / Quando vorrai’ - Poppea, Claudio, Lesbo
-
Recitative ‘Pur al fin se n’ando’ - Poppea
Scene Twenty-Three
-
Recitative ‘O mia liberatrice’ - Poppea, Agrippina
-
Aria ‘Non ho cor che per amarti’ - Agrippina
Scene Twenty-Four
-
Recitative ‘Se Ottone m’inganno’ - Poppea
-
Aria ‘Se giunge un dispetto’ - Poppea
Act Two
Scene One
- Recitative ‘Dunque noi siam traditi’ - Pallante, Narciso
Scene Two
-
Aria ‘Coronato il crin d’alloro’ - Ottone
-
Recitative ‘Roma, pue ch’il trionfo’ - Pallante, Narciso, Ottone
Scene Three
-
Prelude
-
Recitative ‘Ecco il superbo’ - Agrippina, Poppea, Nerone, Ottone, Narciso
-
Chorus ‘Di timpani e trombe’ - Poppea, Nerone, Agrippina, Ottone, Narciso, Pallante, Lesbo
Scene Four
-
Recitative ‘Nella Britannia vinta’ - Claudio
-
Aria ‘Cade il mondo’ - Claudio
-
Recitative ‘Signore, quanto il mio cuore’ - Agrippina, Claudio, Poppea, Nerone, Narciso, Pallante, Ottone
-
Arioso ‘Nulla sperar da me’ - Agrippina
-
Recitative ‘E tu Poppea’ - Ottone
-
Aria ‘Tuo ben e il trono’ - Poppea
-
Ritornello
-
Recitative ‘Soccorri almen Nerone’ - Ottone
-
Aria ‘Sotto il lauro’ - Nerone
-
Recitative ‘Scherzo son’ - Ottone, Narciso, Pallante, Lesbo
Scene Five
-
Recitativo Accompagnato ‘Otton, otton’ - Ottone
Scene Six
-
Aria ‘Spera, alma mia’ - Poppea
-
Recitative ‘Il tormento d’Ottone’ - Poppea
Scene Seven
-
Recitative ‘Par che amor sia’ - Poppea
-
Aria ‘Vaghe fonti’ - Ottone
-
Recitative ‘Ma qui che veggo’ - Ottone, Poppea
-
Aria ‘Ti vuo giusta’ - Ottone
Scene Eight
-
Recitative ‘Da quali ordite trame’ - Poppea
-
Aria ‘Ingannata una sol volta’ - Poppea
Scene Nine
- Recitative ‘Pur alfin ti ritrovo’ - Lesbo, Poppea
Scene Ten
- Recitative ‘A non pochi perigli’ - Poppea
Scene Eleven
-
Recitative ‘Son qui, mia vita’ - Nerone, Poppea
-
Aria ‘Col peso del tuo amor’ - Poppea
Scene Twelve
-
Recitative ‘Qual bramato piacere’ - Nerone
-
Aria ‘Quando invita’ - Nerone
Scene Thirteen
-
Recitative ‘Quel ch’oprai’ - Agrippina
Scene Fourteen
-
Recitative ‘Se ben nemica sorte’ - Pallante, Agrippina
-
Aria ‘Col raggio placido’ - Pallante
Scene Fifteen
- Recitative ‘Di giunger non dispero’ - Agrippina
Scene Sixteen
-
Recitative ‘Or e tempo’ - Agrippina, Narciso
-
Aria ‘Sperero, poiche mel dice’ - Narciso
Scene Seventeen
- Recitative ‘Per dar la pace al core’ - Agrippina
Scene Eighteen and Nineteen
- Recitative ‘A vagheggiar io vengo’ - Claudio, Agrippina
Scene Twenty
-
Recitative ‘Signor, Poppea’ - Lesbo, Claudio, Agrippina
-
Aria ‘Basta che sol tu chieda’ - Claudio
Scene Twenty-One
-
Recitative ‘Favorevol la sorte’ - Agrippina
-
Aria ‘Ogni vento’ - Agrippina
Act Three
Scene One
- Recitative ‘Il caro Otton’ - Poppea
Scene Two
-
Recitative ‘Ah, mia Poppea’ - Ottone, Poppea
-
Aria ‘Tacero’ - Ottone
Scene Three
- Recitative ‘Attendo qui Nerone’ - Poppea
Scene Four
-
Recitative ‘Anelante ti reco’ - Nerone, Poppea, Ottone
-
Aria ‘Coll’ardor del tuo bel core’ - Nerone
Scene Five
- Recitative ‘Amico ciel’ - Poppea
Scene Six
- Recitative ‘Qui non v’e alcun’ - Lesbo, Claudio, Poppea, Nerone, Ottone
Scene Seven
- Recitative ‘Temerario insolente’ - Claudio, Poppea, Nerone, Ottone
Scene Eight
-
Recitative ‘Ora, Claudio, che dici?’ - Poppea, Claudio
-
Aria ‘Io di Roma’ - Claudio
Scene Nine
- Recitative ‘Pur alfin se n’ando’ - Poppea
Scene Ten
-
Recitative ‘Ora Ottone, che dici?’ - Poppea, Ottone
-
Aria ‘Pur ch’io ti stringa al sen’ - Ottone
-
Recitative ‘Piega pur del mio cor’ - Poppea
-
Aria ‘Bel piacere’ - Poppea
Scene Eleven
-
Recitative ‘Contanto oso Poppea?’ - Agrippina, Nerone
-
Aria ‘Come nube’ - Nerone
Scene Twelve
- Recitative ‘Evvi donna piu empia?’ - Pallante, Narciso
Scene Thirteen
- Recitative ‘Agrippina, Nerone’ - Claudio Pallante, Narciso
Scene Fourteen
-
Recitative ‘Adorato mio sposo’ - Agrippina, Claudio, Pallante, Narciso
-
Aria ‘Se vuoi pace’ - Agrippina
Scene Fifteen
-
Recitative ‘Ecco la mia rivale’ - Agrippina, Poppea, Nerone, Ottone, Claudio
-
Chorus ‘Lieto il Tebro’ - Agrippina, Poppea, Claudio, Nerone, Ottone, Pallante, Narciso, Lesbo, Giunone
Final Scene
-
Recitative ‘D’Ottone e di Poppea’ - Giunone
-
Aria ‘V’accendano le tede’ - Giunone
Ballet
-
Gigue
-
Sarabande
-
Bouree
-
Menuet
-
Passacaille
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
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Videos
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