Design Brief

The Coronation of Poppea (L'Incoronazione di Poppea) by Claudio Monteverdi

Monteverdi's opera Poppea was first performed in the Venice carnival season of 1642-1643. The libretto was written by Giovanni Francesco Busanello and the music is thought to be composed largely by Monteverdi, although other musicians may have contributed to the surviving musical scores. The opera is the first ever to deal with a real life theme rather than a mythological one, and was Monteverdi's last opera. The story, based on Roman history, is unusual because all the characters are compromised - the 'good' are as flawed as the 'bad'. The central characters are Poppea and Nerone (the emperor Nero) and it is their lust and her ambition that drive the story forward. When we first meet her, Poppea has just spent the night with Nerone - in doing so, she has been unfaithful to her former lover Ottone and Nerone has been unfaithful to his wife, Ottavia. But neither of them cares - they are too much in love. Poppea squeezes a promise from Nerone that he will ditch his wife and marry her, making her Empress. Unfortunately, there are a few obstacles in the way. Ottone, Poppea's former lover, tries to win her back but she rejects him. He then turns to Drusilla who has always loved him. The philosopher Seneca also intervenes, trying to change Nerone's mind, urging him to be faithful to his wife Ottavia. Poppea plots to have Seneca killed and so Seneca is duly killed, much to her satisfaction. Ottavia persuades Ottone that it is his duty to kill Poppea - so he diguises himself in women's clothes and sets off to attack her. The plot is thwarted and Poppea believes Drusilla to have been the assailant, so she is tried and sentenced to death. Ottone confesses that he was the attacker and they are both banished. Nerone announces that he is divorcing Ottavia and sending her into exile. Nerone and Poppea rejoice that all obstacles to their love and marriage have been swept away and Poppea, triumphant, is crowned Empress. The goddess of Love also proclaims her triumph as a power greater than the goddesses Virtue and Fortune. (Busanello's version of the story takes some characters from history and weaves a story around them. The Roman emperor Nero was a nasty piece of work and really did come to power by underhand means. He did marry Poppaea, but is believed to have kicked her to death. He then married again, having poisoned his new wife's husband first. Ultimately he was declared a public enemy by his own people and finally committed suicide.) Listen to the music several times and get to know the style ( this period is classed as the Baroque). Read through the libretto several times to get to know the characters and the story. Make notes on each character, constructing profiles. Research the period for its art ( getting to know the baroque style ) and for its dress. Research the clothing of men and women of the mid-seventeenth century, including information on the cut of clothes, the textiles, undergarments, shoes, ruffs, collars, headwear, etc. Research how the first stagings might have looked. Examine the opera's more recent production history. You are then free to interpret the opera as you will, re-thinking its design context and concept. You may wish to modernize the time of the events, shifting them from Roman times to another era. But be prepared to defend your interpretation. The opera runs to around 3 hours of music. Think how your costuming might help sustain both your character interpretation and the audience's interest in the spectacle. The characters are all aristocratic (Roman nobility) so would be able to command lavish clothing and careful grooming. You might wish to research more contemporary fashions, if you wish to bring it up to date or set it in the recent past. You should design for the following characters: Poppea (a Roman lady, mistress to Nerone) Nerone (Emperor of Rome) Ottavia (Empress, wife to Nerone) Ottone (a Roman nobleman, in love with Poppea) Seneca (Nerone's former tutor) Drusilla (A Roman lady) Nutrice ( Ottavia's nurse) Arnalta ( Poppea's nurse) Amore (God of Love) Fortune (Goddess of Fortune) Virtue (Goddess of Virtue) Two Guards (Nero's bodyguards) Work required: sketchbook/files of research. Edited research. Sketchbook of design development drawing. Final costume illustrations with supporting fabric samples and working drawings.