Have always appreciated highly Handel's music, the best of his operas and oratorios being opera and oratorio landmarks, and he has always been my personal favourite of the baroque composers as well as one of the most important. 'Agrippina' is not one of his best, with a ridiculous plot not always easy to keep up with but it has always been very entertaining and the music is absolutely glorious (well it is Handel). Generally it deserves to be better known.

The last production of 'The Metropolitan Opera HD Live's' fourteenth season (not intended, but 'Der Fligende Hollander', 'Tosca' and 'Maria Stuarda' all had to be cancelled for obvious reasons), 'Agrippina' for me was actually the most anticipated. Really like Joyce DiDonato, who has showed consistent brilliance in Baroque and Bel-Canto music, and David McVicar is one of the most interesting stage opera directors today. Found myself not disappointed in any way and it ended up not just being by far one of the best productions of an uneven season ('Akhnaten' and 'Porgy and Bess' were the other outstanding productions) but also one of the highlights of all my 2020 cinema viewings. It is, along with McVicar's wonderful production of 'Giulio Cesare', proof too that baroque opera, more intimate and smaller-scale than most operas done at the Met, can be done well in such a big cavernous opera house, where it doesn't sound too small or having singers and players being drowned out.

Is it perfect? Not quite. To me, Iestyn Davies was a little bland as Ottone and wasn't always comfortable. Part of the problem is actually the role itself, in an opera full of immensely strong personalities with Ottone being its only honourable character, and Davies just wasn't quite up there with the intense fire coming out from the other cast members. He does sing absolutely beautifully though and is an elegant and musical performer.

DiDonato though in the title role is a tour-de-force. She always had a beautiful, creamy voice that she has always been in command of (even in heavier roles) and how she cleverly uses it has always allowed a lot of nuance and some very interesting colours. This is apparent here and she sounds great, especially in the truly fierce "L'alma mia fra le tempeste" and the moving "Pensieri, voi mi tormenti." She is even better dramatically, she seldom had a more scheming character than here and she is constantly thrillingly unpredictable and never holds anything back. Also on fire, as the opera's most interesting character (or so in this production) besides Agrippina, is Brenda Rae as Poppea. Her colouratura is both firey and poised, and it is not easy at all, and while she has a gleaming beauty in her sound it always has presence and never sounds too beige. As an actress she is far from passive, at her best she is quite intense while also with perkiness and charm.

Kate Lindsey makes a very welcome return in another role that suits her to the ground and another role that reminds us of how great she is in trouser roles. Dramatically she absolutely sinks her teeth into Nerone without over-acting, a truly reptillian character in 'Agrippina', and is appropriately snake-like. She is also riotously funny and quite a lot of her interpretation is very physical, showing no discomfort in not very easy actions and moves to make look comfortable. Remarkably though, her singing is a lot more nuanced without being at odds too much and what she does physically doesn't compromise. Matthew Rose is also amusing and powerful, without over-playing the oafishness. He does have a fair share of laugh out loud moments where he is the one poked fun at, and his singing is resonant and not unsteady (if occasionally underpowered in the bottom register). Nicholas Tamagna makes Narciso a far more interesting and entertaining character than he is on paper, not easy making spineless fun or endearing and he manages it.

Word of warning is necessary, this is not a traditional production and is in modern dress. If you have never minded modern dress productions and appreciates things done differently every now and again, this won't bother you. In regard to me, while more of a traditionalist myself when it comes to opera/ballet/theatre productions new ideas are always welcome in my mind as long as it's done tastefully and intelligently. Some opera productions fail at this. This 'Agrippina' doesn't. The sets may look spare at first, but how cleverly used they are make them interesting. The dominant, but not heavy-handed (the season had symbolism in nearly all the productions and with varying success), use of the golden staircase and golden throne is most effective and makes the production look more attractive. The costumes don't look tacky and some are quite chic and add to the gloss.

McVicar's stage direction is a big star here, showing once again like with his wonderful 'Giulio Cesare' that he is at ease with Handel. To me McVicar is one of the most interesting opera directors today, not every staging touch of his has worked but he has nearly always been a master when it comes to developing character relationships, sometimes at a different angle, and making characters more complex than they usually are by giving them more than one dimension or approaching them differently. One can see both instances here, the character interaction never loses focus, the chemistry scintillates and it's done in a refreshing yet also respectful manner. The characters are far from stock, though more could have been done with Ottone, and things are brought out in the characterisation and drama not seen before by me anywhere else. Including the unique stage direction for Nerone. It is an extremely funny production, with a sharp satirical edge, while also allowing room for depth.

From a musical point of view, the production is pretty much perfect. The orchestral playing is vibrant in sound with some lovely dynamic contrasts, the energy is constant which makes the production lively and the more intimate moments are given breathing space without wallowing. The harpsichord playing it has to be said is extremely good and very accomodating and well synchronised in the recitatives. Harry Bicket's conducting is full of brisk energy while being sympathetic towards the singers, the production is lengthy but flies by.

Concluding, a winner of a production and one of the season's best. 9/10