Friday 17 October, 6.30pm
L’incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi – Lecture by musicologist David Conway, chair of the Hampstead Garden Opera, followed by extracts of the opera by some of the protagonists of the production
Monteverdi’s ‘L’incoronazione di Poppea’ (1643) was the first opera to break free from mythology and indulge in historical scandal. When Emperor Nero falls obsessively in love with the ambitious Poppea, their toxic romance becomes Rome’s ultimate power play. She’s ruthless, he’s unhinged, and together they’re unstoppable. Around them: gossiping servants, doomed philosophers, vengeful wives, scheming exes, and a chorus of opportunists, all pulled into the chaos of Poppea’s ascent.
This November the opera company HGO – Hampstead Garden Opera, winner of the 2023 and 2024 Off West End opera awards, brings their new production of Poppea, with a full baroque ensemble, to Jacksons Lane Theatre, N6 (www.hgo.org.uk/poppea).
At the Italian Cultural Institute HGO chair, the musicologist Dr. David Conway, introduces us to Monteverdi and his revolutionary role in early opera, and stars of the production perform extracts from this extraordinary masterpiece.
Book your place HERE
HGO Trust Ltd. is a registered UK charity (no.1168484). Starting life as Hampstead Garden Opera over thirty years ago, it pursues the charitable objective of “advancing young singers”, principally by enabling those seeking to commence careers in opera to perform in high quality, fully staged opera performances, in original languages, with orchestra at North London venues, before paying audiences (at a moderate ticket charge). It undertakes two such productions a year. Typically these productions are double-cast, and given in eight performances. It has also begun in recent years to undertake work with schools and to develop community activities.
HGO offers one of the very few opportunities for young singers in the UK to perform ‘in rep’ in this way and gain vital experience for their profession. The ‘alumni’, with whom it seeks to remain in contact, speak warmly of the value gained from their time with HGO. Many have gone on from these first footings to develop professional opera careers. In the present year alumni have received engagements at Longborough Festival, Glyndebourne, Scottish Opera, Grange Park Opera, and English Touring Opera, among others. Two alumni have earlier this month been chosen by National Opera Studio as 2025/26 Young Artists.
Productions are frequently nominated for awards including “Off West End” Awards (the “Offies”) – both productions of Janacek’s ‘Cunning Little Vixen’ and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Eugene Onegin’ won the Offie Opera Production awards for 2024 and 2025. Of the ‘Onegin’ production, ‘The Spectator’ magazine critic Richard Bratby wrote (30 November 2024): “It was the sort of night that made you want to go out and drag in an opera-sceptic, just to watch their prejudices being blasted away at storm-force”
Singers are chosen entirely on the basis of their talents and abilities and we are delighted that they have included many ethnicities, including Black, Afro-Caribbean, Asian and East European as well as British (from all over the United Kingdom). In October 2022 the Sunday Times named HGO as “an engine of opera development in the UK.”