Claudio Monteverdi: il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria

Overview

After ten years battling in the Trojan War—and another ten on an epic journey homeward—Ulysses returns to his homeland. Disguised as a beggar, the king of Ithaca must recover his wife, his son, and his people... Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (Venice, 1640), directed here by Klaus-Michael Grüber and conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, achieves a perfect dramatic balance, stirring the imagination and instantly transporting the viewer to a long-ago time. The all-star cast features one of the earliest recorded appearances by the great Jonas Kaufmann, who makes his presence felt as Ulisse's son Telemaco.

Cast

Vesselina Kasarova

Pénélope

Dietrich Henschel

L'humanita fragilita / Ulisse

Malin Hartelius

Melanto

Isabel Rey

Minerva/ Amore

Martina Janková

Fortuna/ Giunone

Cornelia Kallisch

Ericlea

Jonas Kaufmann

Telemaco

Rudolf Schasching

Iro

Reinhard Mayr

Antinoo

Martin Zysset

Pisandro