The opera trilogy «I, Claudius» and «Claudius the God» is inspired by Robert Graves’ epic work, which made a big splash as soon as it was published and is now a must-read in 20th-century historical novels.
The BBC TV series brought the title back to life in 1976, and it was a hit once again, and, in 2011, HBO snagged the rights to remake the BBC TV series «I, Claudius» and even considered making it a spin-off or sequel to its underrated historical drama «Rome.» They thought about using the same sets (which were, and still are, in a film studio outside Rome) and a similar format.
The idea of creating a grand opera based on «I, Claudius» and «Claudius the God» came up in 2014. We started talking with William Graves, President of the Robert Graves Foundation.