L.A. Opera announces replacements for ‘Poppea’

Los Angeles Opera will replace its highly anticipated January concert performances of Luciano Berio’s new orchestration of Monteverdi’s “The Coronation of Poppea” with concert performances of three operatic pieces, including Berio’s 1966 re-orchestration of Monteverdi’s “The Battle Between Tancredi and Clorinda.”

“A Concert of Passion & Poetry: Domingo, von Stade and Nagano,” to be conducted by L.A. Opera principal conductor Kent Nagano, will also include Acts 3 and 4 of Massenet’s “Werther” with company artistic director Placido Domingo, Frederica von Stade and Maki Mori; and Act 4 of Verdi’s “Otello” with Domingo and Carmen Giannattasio.

The opera company confirmed Monday that “Poppea” -- slated for Jan. 11-19 with Domingo and Von Stade performing -- would be canceled because the composition was not completed. The problem was the deteriorating health of Berio, Italy’s foremost contemporary composer. The company still plans to present “Poppea” at a later date.

L.A. Opera director of operations Edgar Baitzel said Tuesday the company has not pressed Berio for details of his illness, but said: “It’s been known in the music world for a couple of years that his state of health was not good.”

Baitzel added that the company has been aware for about six weeks that Berio would be unable to finish the work, but postponed announcing the cancellation until a replacement concert could be assembled using as many of the contracted soloists as possible. Of that group, Hei-Kyung Hong could not be worked into the program, and she has agreed to release L.A. Opera from its obligation to pay her fees. The soprano will perform a concert for L.A. Opera next season.

In a statement Tuesday from his home in Tuscany, Berio did not specify his illness but expressed “great dismay” at having to postpone the premiere “of my revisitation of my beloved ‘Poppea.’ My recent recovery has been held back by new medical complications and my doctors have ordered complete rest. The work I have completed for ‘Poppea’ is complex and delicate but it is incomplete and cannot be performed at this time.”

Last season, L.A. Opera presented Puccini’s “Turandot” with a new 15-minute ending composed by Berio. Baitzel said that, ironically, L.A. Opera was able to present that premiere because of Berio’s health problems: The composer was unable to complete that work in time for an earlier scheduled premiere at La Scala in Milan. “We had the benefit, but now we are the victim,” Baitzel said.

Although the January “Poppea” performances were originally planned as a fully staged production, they were scaled down to concert form because Berio had been in an auto accident and was behind in completing that orchestration. (Opera officials say they do not know whether Berio’s current health problems are related to the accident.) Domingo said in a statement Tuesday that the postponement will allow L.A. Opera to return to its plan to present the fully staged work in a future season.

The cancellation of “Poppea” is the second major schedule change this season for Los Angeles Opera. In August, the company canceled November performances of Kirov Opera’s $3-million production of “War and Peace” due to financial problems.

That production was replaced by another Kirov opera, “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk,”, which ran into its own difficulties when the 10-day shutdown of West Coast ports prevented the sets, costumes and props from being unloaded in Los Angeles. The boat carrying the items went on to Tokyo. Costumes and props had to be flown back to L.A. from Tokyo, and the sets had to be rebuilt from scratch.

“This is the third big hit this season,” Baitzel said of the “Poppea” problem. “I think three is enough.”

All tickets for “Poppea” will be honored for the same times and dates for “A Concert of Passion & Poetry.” Ticket-holders requesting exchanges or refunds should contact L.A. Opera customer service, (213) 972-8001.