Opera in three acts
Libretto by Vincenzo Grimani
Cast:
Agrippina - Stéphanie d’Oustrac
Nerone - John Holiday
Poppea - Ying Fang
Claudio - Gianluca Buratto
Ottone - Tim Mead
Narciso - Jake Ingbar
Lesbo - Georgiy Derbas-Richter
Ottavio Dantone - conductor
Accademia Bizantina
Barrie Kosky – stage direction
Rebecca Ringst - set design
Klaus Bruns – costume design
Joachim Klein – lighting design
Nikolaus Stenitzer – dramaturgy
Dutch National Opera (Amsterdam) in coproduction with Bayerische Staatsoper (Munuch), Royal Opera House (London) e Hamburgische Staatsoper (Hamburg)
Agrippina (HWV 6) is a work by G.F. Händel which already achieved great success at the time of its creation (1709); it contains some of the composer's most famous arias. In January 2024, Accademia Bizantina, directed by Maestro Ottavio Dantone, will perform it at the Amsterdam Opera House, together with an internationally renowned cast, directed by Barrie Kosky.
The premiere is on January 13 (at 7pm), the following performances are scheduled on the 15th, 17th, 21st, 24th, 26th, and 28th (January 21 and 28 at 2pm).
“This work has sensuality and power, the most thrilling ingredients you could want from an opera”, says stage director Barrie Kosky. He has a gift for presenting true-to-life characters who tread a fine line between irony and seriousness. The stylish decor was designed by Rebecca Ringst, who won Designer of the Year at the 2019 International Opera Awards. […]
The musical direction for this first production is in the hands of Handel specialist Ottavio Dantone, who will be making his debut as a conductor at Dutch National Opera. His own prize-winning Baroque orchestra Accademia Bizantina will be taking their seats in the orchestra pit.
The acclaimed mezzo-soprano Stéphanie d’Oustrac will be performing the role of the empress Agrippina for the first time, after her performances in DNO productions L’étoile and Idomeneo. D’Oustrac shines alongside up-and-coming countertenor John Holiday (Nerone), who previously sang in DNO’s We Shall Not Be Moved, and soprano Ying Fang (Poppea), who has become a firm favourite with Amsterdam audiences.
Accademia Bizantina (AB) was founded in Ravenna in 1983.
Accademia’s music starts from the origin (“AB”), from the very rules of the baroque stylistic language: it investigates them without any addition, elimination or transformation, relying on the sounds of ancient instruments.
This unique performing method began in 1996 with the appointment of its conductor Ottavio Dantone, a true expert of Baroque expressive codes. His system, forged by experience and an ongoing philological study, has allowed AB as an orchestra to approach any repertoire with awareness and honesty. Being able to convey the composer’s authentic intentions to the public is an invaluable asset that has earned AB national and international recognition and collaboration*.
Each performance by Accademia Bizantina, which since 2011 can also count on the prestigious concertmaster Alessandro Tampieri, is an unexpected journey through time, an unparalleled balance between technique, skill, rigour, interpretative culture, intuition and stylistic accuracy.
Accademia Bizantina has recorded for Decca, Harmonia Mundi, Deutsche Grammophon, Naïve, Alpha, Onyx, HDB Sonus. It has received prestigious awards such as the Diapason d’Or, Midem, Choc di Classica, Opus Klassik, Grammy Music Award and Gramophone Awards. Particularly significant are the collaborations with violinists Viktoria Mullova and Giuliano Carmignola, countertenor Andreas Scholl and contralto Delphine Galou; in 2021 got the second place in the world and first place in Europe at Gramophone Awards for the best orchestra of the year.
Accademia Bizantina has performed in the world’s most renowned theatres and festivals, such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center (New York), Wigmore Hall and Barbican Centre (London), Théâtre des Champs Elysées (Paris) and Opera Royal (Versailles); Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Bozar (Brussels), Pierre Boulez Saal / Staatoper (Berlin) Kölner Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, ENCPA Beijing, Shanghai Concert Hall, Walt Disney Hall (Los Angeles), Theater an der Wien (Wien), CNDM Madrid, and Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome.
