Angela Cavalieri’s intriguing art brings illumination to Monteverdi’s final opera.

What drew you to Monteverdi in the first place?

In 2011, I was commissioned by the Arts Centre Melbourne to produce an artwork in response to an opera of my choice.

While exploring the world of opera, I found myself drawn to Claudio Monteverdi. He was a musical innovator and led the development of opera in its earliest days. I did look at other composers but I responded immediately to the music of Monteverdi when my husband played it to me. I was especially drawn to the final duet in l’incoronazione di Poppea.It was the first historical opera, set in Ancient Rome during Nero’s reign and I could visualise this scene being translated into an artwork.


Pur ti miro, pur ti godo… (2011)

You’ve been engaged in a four-year exploration of Monteverdi’s madrigals. How do you respond to an aural phenomenon like a madrigal through a medium such as visual art?

When I started to investigate Monteverdi’s madrigals I began by looking at the poetry that was used to create the madrigals.

I found myself...

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