Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria (complete opera)

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Widescreen 16:9 - PCM Stereo / Dolby Diigtal 5.1 Surround / - Colour - 155 Minutes - PAL

Opera in two acts / Sung in Italian

For 240 years nothing was known of Monteverdi's Odysseus opera, a work based closely on books 13 to 23 of Homer's epic poem. But it did not take long after the opera's discovery for it to be hailed as a key work marking the threshold between the Renaissance and Baroque periods. We have Nikolaus Harnoncourt to thank for the fact that a musicologically sound - if ultimately "unofficial" - catalogue of conventions for Monteverdi performance practice has survived until the present day. The conductor developed his theories about authentic instrumentation from a wide range of sources. The spectacular success enjoyed by this opera 25 years ago at the Zurich Opera was due in no small measure to the breadth of tonal colour achieved by this amazing ensemble of instruments. Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's ingenious staging was accompanied from the orchestra pit by raspings, whistlings and strummings, the like of which no opera-going public had heard before. This spectacular Monteverdi-cycle in the Seventies was followed by a directing effort from Klaus Michael Grüber, who studied under Strehler at the Piccolo Teatro and who also gave successful acting performances in, amongst others, "The Lovers on the Bridge" by Léos Carax. Vesselina Kasarova and Dietrich Henschel, two of the most brilliant vocalists of our times make this production unforgettable.

Cast:
Vesselina Kasarova, Malin Hartelius, Isabel Rey, Martina Jankovà, Cornelia Kallisch, Dietrich Henschel, Jonas Kaufmann, Rudolf Schasching, Reinhard Mayr, Martin Zysset, Thomas Mohr, Martin Oró, Pavel Daniluk, Giuseppe Scorsin, Anton Scharinger, Boguslaw Bidzinski

Orchestra, Chorus:
Orchestra La Scintilla from the Opernhaus Zürich

"Fine vocal contributions and a typically purple score adorn this fresh production. The vocal contributions are also more eloquent than ever with outstanding contributions from the two protagonists, Vesselina Kasarova and Dietrich Henschel; can Mon teverdi have ever heard this, his first opera for Venice's Teatro San Cassiano in 1640, sung with such an extraordinary range of vocal beauty and immediacy of expression? This extends to all the characters, notably in the wonderful discussion between the truculent Neptune and appeasing Jupiter, in Act 1, scene 4, where comedy and gravitas are superbly juxtaposed. Rudolf Schasching's comic Iro is brilliantly characterised and Isabel Rey's Minerva and Malin Hartelius's Melanto are accomplished throughout. Martina Janková completes the trio of exceptional female minor roles with an exquisite 'Procurero la pace' near the end."
-Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Gramophone, April 2003

"The renowned collaborations between Zurich Opera and Nikolaus Harnoncourt in the 1970s and early '80s were crucial milestones in projecting historically-aware performance away from historicism-for-its-own-sake, towards vitally-conceived productions for contemporary audiences. Il Ritorno enjoyed great success in 1977, in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's imaginative staging, in which Harnoncourt's opulent instrumental palette lifted the hearts of many, though only the eyebrows of the purists. In this musical 'revival' (the production is entirely new with its simple, fresh, whitewashed, open space and modern mosaic floor), to celebrate 25 years of the swashbuckling original, Harnoncourt allows the nobility of the score to roll unimpeded by the driven intensity of the older recorded account on Teldec from 1971 (9/89R).

The vocal contributions are also more eloquent than ever with outstanding contributions from the two protagonists, Vesselina Kasarova and Dietrich Henschel; can Monteverdi have ever heard this, his first opera for Venice's Teatro San Cassiano in 1640, sung with such an extraordinary range of vocal beauty and immediacy of expression? This extends to all the characters, notably in the wonderful discussion between (…) Neptune and appeasing Jupiter, in Act 1, scene 4, where comedy and gravitas are superbly juxtaposed. Rudolf Schasching's comic Iro is brilliantly characterised and Isabel Rey's Minerva and Malin Hartelius's Melanro are accomplished throughout. Martina Janková completes the trio of exceptional female minor roles with an exquisite 'Procurero la pace' near the end.

Of the two caveats here, the durability of Harnoncourt's big-band score with its bold instrumental canvas is likely to be a source of debate. Monteverdi left only a shelt of his musical genius and, as convention dictated, the performers filled in the rest. For the modern performer, the logic of using the greatest array of colouration to suit the context of characterisation and emotional stares is highly plausible for all those who value music drama - and Monteverdi, more to the point - in pastels rather than charcoal. Yet, there are moments when the spirit of realisation enters into the realms of transcription, especially in the richly endowed brass ensembles used for divine intervention. A later Baroque soundworld occasionally prevails and the luminosity of the moment is lost, and yet, equally, the warm glow of assured fidelity in 'Hor di parlar e rempo' - where Ulysses's accompagnato recitative (with arpeggiated harps) lends remarkable authenticity to the composer's primal communicative instincts is ravishing and persuasive. …"
-Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Gramophone, April 2003

"Zurich Opera's production by Klaus-Michael Grüber of this marvellous opera is not to be compared with Aix Festival's, but it is still very acceptable, particularly for Nikolaus Harnoncourt's conduction, more responsive to the music's emotion. Vesselina Kasarova is a full-toned Penelope, Dietrich Henschel a noble Ulisse. The young lovers are attractively sung by Malin Hartelius and Boguslaw Bidzinski, and Rudolf Schasching is excellent as the glutton Irus..."
-Michael Kennedy, The Sunday Telegraph, 9/3/2003