Carsen’s production…is a paradox that is simultaneously sophisticated and clumsy…On the other hand, [he] presents characters, their interactions and motivations with cleverness, wit and flawless timing…Hengelbrock’s full-blooded conducting of the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble has theatrical acumen and is vividly sonorous whether sweet, dark, seductive or furious.

Hengelbrock amply motivates the score, his regular orchestra providing constantly brisk and assertive playing…Carsen relishes the cynicism of the text…In her vividly sung performance as Nerone’s doting mother Agrippina, Patricia Bardon is every inch the master-manipulator…Enhanced by a fresh and immediate vocal performance, Danielle de Niese’s perfectly judged Poppea portrays a smart little cookie determined to use whatever nature has given her to further her ends.