Actors/Artists:  Patricia Schumann, Richard Croft, Rene Jacobs

Aspect Ratio:

Full Frame

Audio:

Italian

DC-DVD Price: £26.75

In the history of opera, Claudio Monteverdi's work represents the first high point to fundamentally shape the genre: his opera "Orfeo" composed in 1607 is considered by many to the first genuine opera ever written. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Monteverdi was one of the greatest musicians of the time. The first opera houses were founded in Venice around 1640 and Monteverdi became a highly sought-after opera composer. One year before his death he wrote "The Coronation of Poppea," which was performed several times during the seventeenth century. The original version appears to have been destroyed in a fire at the theatre at which it was first performed in 1748. For the performance in Montpellier, the famous Baroque expert Rene Jacobs produced one of the recognized new versions of the opera. The Concerto Koln has been one of the top ensembles in Baroque and Pre-Classical music for a number of years.