L'incoronazione Di Poppea - Roles

Roles

With 21 individual roles and assorted chorus groups, L'incoronazione requires a large cast. However, doubling up in the smaller roles and in the choruses allows a performance to be staged with no more than 15 singers: six sopranos, one mezzo-soprano, two contraltos, two or three tenors and two or three basses.

Role Voice type Appearances Notes
Fortuna, Goddess of Fortune soprano Prologue
Virtù, Goddess of Virtue soprano Prologue
Amore, God of Love soprano Prologue
Act 2 XIII and XIV
The part may be allocated to a treble voice.
Ottone (Otho), a noble Roman, enamoured of Poppea mezzo-soprano Act 1: I, II, XI, XII, XIII
Act 2: VIII, IX, XI, XIV
Act 3: IV
Originally written as a castrato role.
Due soldati, Two soldiers, part of Nerone's bodyguard tenor Act 1: II
Poppea (Poppaea Augusta Sabina), a Roman lady, mistress to Nerone soprano Act 1: III, IV, X, XI
Act 2: XII, XIII, XIV
Act 3: V, VIIIabcd
Nerone (Nero), Emperor of Rome soprano Act 1: III, IX, X
Act 2: VI
III, IV, V, VIIIabcd
Originally written as a castrato role.
Arnalta, Poppea's nurse contralto or tenor Act 1: IV
Act 2: XII, XIV
Act 3: II, III, VII
The role is frequently allocated to a male voice, for comedic effect.
Ottavia (Octavia), Empress, wife to Nerone soprano Act 1: V, VI
Act 2: IX
Act 3: VI
Nutrice, Ottavia's nurse contralto Act 1: V
Act 2: X
As with Arnalta, often played by a male.
Seneca, Nerone's former tutor bass Act 1: VI, VII, VIII, IX
Act 2: I, II, III, IV
Valletto, a court page soprano Act 1: VI
Act 2: V, X
Pallade (Pallas Athene), a goddess soprano Act 1: VIII
Drusilla, A Roman lady soprano Act 1: XIII
Act 2: X, XI
Act 3: I, II, III, IV
Mercurio (Mercury), the messenger of the gods tenor Act 2: I
Liberto, a freed slave, now captain of the Praetorian Guard tenor Act 2: II
Tre famigliari, three members of Seneca's household contralto, tenor, bass Act 2: III
Coro di Virtù, chorus of the Virtues parts not set to music Act 2: IV This scene does not appear in either of the surviving music scores.
Damigella, lady-in-waiting to Ottavia soprano Act 2: V
Lucano (Lucan), a Roman poet tenor Act 2: VI
Petronio (Petronius) and Tigenello, members of Nerone's court tenor and bass Act 2: VI Not in the scores; in Busenello's libretto some lines for Nerone and Lucano are reallocated to these two courtiers.
Littore, A lictor bass Act 3: II, III, IV
Venere (Venus), goddess of Love, mother of Amore soprano Act 3: VIIIc
Consoli e tribuni, Consuls and tribunes of the Roman empire tenor and bass parts Act 3: VIIIb
Coro di Amori, chorus of Love-gods contralto and soprano parts Act 3: VIIIc

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