Love conquers all – ruthlessly and irresistibly – as Emperor Nero and his mistress Poppea remove the obstacles to their union. At Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu David Alden’s visually sumptuous production, with its suggestions of a giant game of chess, puts the opera’s potent blend of sex and politics in a context that sets ancient against modern– just as the action juxtaposes scurrilous comedy and stark drama. Monteverdi’s magnificent score, meanwhile, accommodates intrigue, wit, nobility, tragedy and sensuality, and, led by the intense Sarah Connolly and the delectable Miah Persson, the cast brings both drama and music startlingly to life.

Sarah Connolly
Nerone

Miah Persson
Poppea

Franz-Josef Selig
Seneca
Guy De Mey
Lucano
Jordi Domènech
Ottone

Aria
Aria

Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier @ Zurich Opera House
Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier @ Zurich Opera House

The Metropolitan Opera: Norma
The Metropolitan Opera: Norma

The Metropolitan Opera: The Exterminating Angel
The Metropolitan Opera: The Exterminating Angel

The Metropolitan Opera: Tosca
The Metropolitan Opera: Tosca

Billy Budd
Billy Budd

Macbeth
Macbeth

Kaufmann's Otello at the Royal Opera House
Kaufmann's Otello at the Royal Opera House

The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute

Wozzeck
Wozzeck

Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser

Verdi La Traviata
Verdi La Traviata