Claudio Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea

The Academy of Ancient Music bring Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea to Barbican Hall on Tuesday 17 November, a concert performance of what's often called his most sensuous and scandalous opera. It's the story of the Emperor Nero and the rise of his mistress Poppea, told in music of such drama, style and pure beauty that it's hard not to be seduced. Monteverdi was a Venetian genius who defined opera as we know it, and this staging is sung in Italian with English titles.

Laurence Cummings, director of the Academy of Ancient Music and a noted Monteverdi specialist who has recorded the composer's complete operas, leads from the harpsichord. He's joined by a full cast: Anna Dennis as Poppea, Ed Lyon as Nerone, Katie Bray as Ottavia, Christopher Lowrey as Ottone, Nahuel di Pierro as Seneca, Stuart Jackson as Arnalta, Maryam Wocial as Drusilla, Rachel Redmond as Amore, Fiona Kimm as Nutrice, Thomas Walker as Lucano, Danni O'Neill as La Fortuna and Rob Macdonald as Littore. It's a concert performance, so the focus stays on the music rather than the staging.

Tickets run from £18 to £70, with a £4 transaction fee on top. The performance starts at 19:00 at Barbican Hall, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS.