This fall, the New York City Opera revived George Frideric Handel's dramma giocoso, or seriocomic opera, "Agrippina" (1710), a tale of lust and lust for power in the snake pit of deceit that was ancient Rome. Updated to the 1940s or so, it was wittily directed by Lillian Groag and elegantly realized musically under the baton of Ransom Wilson. John Conklin designed the spare settings, sometimes suggestive of antiquity, sometimes of more recent times, and always with plenty of hiding places, for this co-production with Glimmerglass Opera and costumes, of the variety of periods alluded to, were by Jess Goldstein.

The opera concerns historic personages Emperor Claudio (Claudius-João Fernandes), his ruthless Empress Agrippina (Nelly Miricioiu), and her machinations to secure succession to the throne for Nerone (Nero-Jennifer Rivera), her son by her previous spouse. The other principals are Ottone (Otho-David Walker), who saves Claudio's life, and his notorious, fickle love, Poppea (Heidi Stober), who later became Nero's Empress. Nero, Poppea and Ottone are familiar from "L'Incoronazione di Poppea" (1642), by Claudio Monteverdi, which deals with their lives during Nero's reign.

I first heard Rumanian soprano Miricioiu in her Metropolitan Opera debut as Mimi in "La Bohème" on October 28, 1989. Though past its first bloom, her voice retains its luster, as well as the flexibility for the coloratura demanded by the part of Agrippina, called by conductor Jane Glover "a real Joan Crawford figure in the operatic firmament." Miricioiu's pistol-toting Agrippina manipulated son and spouse, pushed Poppea around, figuratively and literally, and delivered a grand "Pensieri, voi mi tormenta," meditating on her efforts on her son's behalf, and a joyous "Ogni vento," dancing a little victory dance, as attaining her goal for him seemed within reach.

Heidi Stober & Jennifer Rivera

As a hedonistic Nerone, awakened beside his mother, in her bed, with the premature report of Claudio's demise, clutching a cocktail and snorting cocaine, Jennifer Rivera, singing in a fluid lyric mezzo-soprano, agreed to Agrippina's schemes, and readily dropped 'his' drawers in pursuit of Poppea in her bed, but, in a bravura climactic aria, determinedly sacrificed love for the throne at Agrippina's behest.

Discovered in her bath, playing with her pearls, in "Vaghe perle," soprano Stober offered buoyant accounts of this and Poppea's subsequent florid arias and capped her performance with an ebullient "Bel piacere" when, after all their tribulations, she and Ottone were reunited.

Accused of treachery and shunned by all, despite having saved the Emperor's life, countertenor Walker offered a dramatic accompanied recitative before "Voi che udite," Ottone's lament marked by pathos and pure tone, and brightened up for an fervent celebration of peace between Poppea and himself.

Fernandes' Claudio sang in light bass tone as he wooed Poppea and reassured Agrippina, as she ran her fingers over his bare, furry chest. Fernandes was born in Zaire and sings extensively with Les Arts Florissants and other companies specializing in early music. In a farcical scene that prefigures an incident in Act One of "Le Nozze di Figaro," Stober's Poppea hid suitors Ottone, in an antechamber, and Nerone, under her bed, where Fernandes' furious Claudio discovered him.

Supporting roles were taken with distinction by Italian baritone Marco Nisticó, as Pallante, male soprano David Korn, as Narciso, and bass Jeffrey Tucker, as the servant Lesbo (really).

Silent, shady commedia dell'arte figures in masks here attended everyone, spied on everyone, and heard every word.

"Agrippina" opened, for half-a-dozen performances, on October 14. The October 24, penultimate hearing, is considered here. Tickets for the remaining "Agrippina," on November 2 at 8 pm, are priced from $16 to 130 and are available at the box office at the New York State Theater in Lincoln Center, on line at www.nycopera.com, or by calling 212/721-6500.