Accademia d’Amore

Published 7:00 am Monday, October 9, 2006

The Coronation of Poppea (1642), Claudio Monteverdi’s elegantly decadent tale of vice rewarded, includes adultery, forced suicide, and a tender, melting love duet—between the two villains. (Call it Desperate Empresses.) Semi-staged excerpts from this and other baroque operas will be presented in two programs as the culmination of a 10-day workshop led by some of the area’s finest early-music performers. (Pictured, baroque strings coach Margriet Tindemans.) On Saturday, scenes from Poppea; on Sunday, music by Lully, Purcell, Francesca Caccini (women may have starred in baroque operas, but they almost never wrote them), and others. GAVIN BORCHERT