2. When the Librettist Was King

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Award-winning writer Stephen Wyatt is on a mission. He thinks that the contribution of the librettist to opera and musical theatre is too often under-appreciated or just plain ignored. But it was different situation back in the 17th century. At the start of operatic history, the librettist was king. Giovanni Francesco Busenello, who wrote the libretto for The Coronation of Poppaea, was a leading literary figure in Venice with far higher status than the opera’s composer, Claudio Monteverdi. Stephen explores what made Busenello’s work so exceptional and why subsequent generations of librettists were eclipsed by the composers they worked with and never received the same degree of popular acclaim. Production Coordinator: Nina Semple Sound: Sean Kerwin Producer: Torquil MacLeod Executive Producer: Peter Hoare A Pier production for BBC Radio 4