For fans of Monteverdi's masterpiece L'Incoronazione Di Poppea, it might be interesting to check out this opera La Didone. The composer Francesco Cavalli sang as a boy soprano in Claudio Monteverdi's church choir. He composed his first opera in 1639 for the public theater in Venice, beginning a successful career. He may also have made a musical contribution to L'Incoronazione Di Poppea (1642), which
… premiered just a year before La Didone. The text is by the same librettist, Giovanni Francesco Busenello. La Didone begins with the destruction of Troy and the murder of its inhabitants. One sad lament follows another. You can recognize Busenello's stamp in Hekabe's gruesome lamentation urging her daughter Kassandra to die with her; there is no moral victory here. With so much grief, a three-hour sit is quite long. Fortunately, there are also lighter moments. William Christie has gathered a lot of young talent around him and the musical performance is beautiful. (CP)more
