Handel: Agrippina
Royal Opera, 23rd September 2019
We were promised Agrippina as House of Cards, full of intrigue and political machinations, yet Barrie Kosky plays his joker frequently in a staging which borders on farce. On an austere set, he vividly brings Handel’s characters to life – sometimes as caricatures – as Agrippina schemes to manoeuvre her son, Nerone, to the throne. Premiered at Bayerisches Staatsoper in July, Kosky’s production arrives with three cast members – Franco Fagioli, Iestyn Davies and Gianluca Buratto – but with a new leading lady and chief schemer, Joyce DiDonato, who delivered a knockout performance in an evening of mixed success.
Joyce DiDonato (Agrippina) and Franco Fagioli (Nerone)
ROH | Bill Cooper
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