Agrippina

At the home of the Roman Emperor Claudius, chaos reigns: his own wife Agrippina is plotting to undermine his throne. She is determined to see her son from a previous marriage, Nero, seated upon it. Claudius, however, wants the brave general Otho to be his successor. Otho, in turn, loves Poppea more than power - while she is desired by both Nero and Claudius. And so these emotional entanglements threaten Agrippina’s intricately woven web of intrigue.

In his opera Agrippina, George Frideric Handel tells this story from Rome’s not-so-glorious past with a generous dose of irony. At the same time, his music sensitively explores the wide emotional range of its characters and, with his characteristic insight, delves into the touching depths of the human soul. It is therefore no surprise that the 24-year-old composer achieved his international breakthrough with the premiere of Agrippina in Venice in 1709.