Annemarie Kremer is a gripping Agrippina

THE SONGBIRD: Dutch soprano Annemarie Kremer was born in 1974. She joined the Maastricht Conservatory at age 18 and was admitted to The Dutch Opera Studio the following year. She also received vocal coaching from Cristina Deutekom. Kremer's debut came as Ilia at the Stadttheater Aachen. Initially, her repertoire focused on Mozart (Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, Countess Almaviva, Vitellia) plus light fare such as Rosalinde and Marie in "Daughter of the Regiment", however, her roles then tilted toward the dramatic realm including Norma, Tosca, Salome, Ariadne, Isolde, Lady MacBeth, Manon Lescaut, Cio-Cio San, and Turandot.

THE MUSIC: “Agrippina” was Handel's second Italian opera, composed for the Venice Carnevale season where it premiered in 1709. It had a very successful run and occasional productions emerged in the following years, but it fell out of fashion, along with most of Handel's operas, in the mid-18th century. “Agrippina” was revived in the 20th century and now the work is more prevalent on stages and recordings, including a production at Metropolitan Opera in 2020. The opera focuses on how Agrippina connives to install her son Nero as the emperor of Rome -- a baroque diva turn to be sure. Here are two of her arias: "Ogni vento ch'al porto" catches her at the end of the second act in a good mood as her nefarious plan seems to falling into place. "Pensieri, voi mi tormentate" is a dark, dramatic expression of her psychological state to stay resolved in the face of plot complications. It has an unorthodox structure and a sparse, almost modern feel.