Monteverdi - Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria
£26.55
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Label: SDG
Cat No: SDG730
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 3
Genre: Opera
Release Date: 26th October 2018
Contents
Artists
Furio ZanasiLucile Richardot
Krystian Adam
Hana Blazikova
Gianluca Buratto
Michal Czerniawski
Gareth Treseder
Zachary Wilder
Anna Dennis
John Taylor Ward
Francesca Boncompagni
Robert Burt
Francisco Fernandez-Rueda
Carlo Vistoli
Silvia Frigato
Francesca Biliotti
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Conductor
John Eliot GardinerWorks
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patriaArtists
Furio ZanasiLucile Richardot
Krystian Adam
Hana Blazikova
Gianluca Buratto
Michal Czerniawski
Gareth Treseder
Zachary Wilder
Anna Dennis
John Taylor Ward
Francesca Boncompagni
Robert Burt
Francisco Fernandez-Rueda
Carlo Vistoli
Silvia Frigato
Francesca Biliotti
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Conductor
John Eliot GardinerAbout
After two brutal decades of war, the weary Ulysses is washed up on the rocky shore of his home island of Ithaca. There, he discovers the hordes of depraved admirers who have beseiged his faithful wife Penelope in his 20-year absence – and launches into battle to win back her love. Monteverdi’s opera is a celebration of unwavering devotion, conveyed in some of the composer’s most poignant, heartbreaking music.
John Eliot Gardiner leads an exemplary cast of world-class singers alongside the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists in this live recording from The National Forum of Music in Wrocław, Poland – part of their critically acclaimed Monteverdi 450 tour in 2017.
Cast:
- Ulisse: Furio Zanasi
- Penelope: Lucile Richardot
- Telemaco: Krystian Adam
- Minerva / Fortuna: Hana Blažíková
- Tempo / Nettuno / Antinoo: Gianluca Buratto
- Pisandro: Michał Czerniawski
- Anfinomo: Gareth Treseder
- Eurimaco: Zachary Wilder
- Melanto: Anna Dennis
- Giove: John Taylor Ward
- Giunone: Francesca Boncompagni
- Iro: Robert Burt
- Eumete: Francisco Fernández-Rueda
- Umana Fragilità: Carlo Vistoli
- Amore: Silvia Frigato
- Ericlea: Francesca Biliotti
Sound/Video
Paused
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1Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Prologue. Mortal Cosa Son Io
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2Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Di Misera Regina
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3Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Duri, E Penosi
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4Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Superbo È L'uom
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5Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: In Questo Basso Mondo
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6Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Dormo Ancora, O Son Desto?
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7Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Cara E Lieta Gioventù
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8Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Tu d'Aretusa Al Fonte Intanto Vanne
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9Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Donate Un Giorno, O Dei
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10Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Come Mal Si Salva Un Regio Ammanto
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11Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Pastor D'armento Può
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12Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act I: Ulisse Generoso
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13Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Sinfonia
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14Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Lieto Cammino
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15Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: O Gran Figlio d'Ulisse
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16Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Che Veggio, Ohimè, Che Miro?
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17Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Eurimaco, La Donna
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18Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Sono L'altre Regine
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19Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: All'allegrezze Dunque
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20Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Apportator D'alte Novelle Vengo
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21Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Compagni, Udiste?
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22Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Perir Non Può Chi Tien Per Scorta Il Cielo
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23Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Io Vidi, O Pelegrin, De' Proci Amanti
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24Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Del Mio Lungo Viaggio I Torti Errori
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25Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act II: Sempre, Villano Eumete
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26Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act III: O Dolor, O Martir Che L'alma Attrista
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27Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act III: Forza D'occulto Affetto
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28Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act III: È Saggio Eumete, È Saggio!
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29Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act III: Fiamma È L'ira, O Gran Dea
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30Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act III: Gran Giove
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31Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act III: Ericlea, Che Vuoi Far?
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32Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act III: Ogni Vostra Ragion Sen Porta 'l Vento
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33Il Ritorno d'Ulisse In Patria, SV 325, Act III: O Delle Mie Fatiche
Europadisc Review
In fact it’s the end result of many hours of careful thought and rehearsal, not least in its projection of Giacomo Badoaro’s libretto, where the enunciation of consonants is every bit as telling as the air breathed by the vowels. The plot is taken from Books 13-23 of Homer’s Odyssey, and is as much about waiting (the patience, but also the human anguish and anticipation) as it is about action. Pacing is obviously key, and Gardiner excels here, giving Monteverdi’s music that rhythmic buoyancy which also distinguishes so many of his Bach recordings. But the secret is also about how that pacing is articulated, and it is thanks in large measure to the insights of language coach Matteo Dalle Fratte that this performance is every bit as vivid (in many respects more so) as any DVD production might be.
The cast is an exceptionally strong one, headed by contralto Lucile Richardot, haughty and distraught as Ulysses’ abandoned wife Penelope, and baritone Furio Zanasi as the eponymous hero who seems the very embodiment of world-weary patience. Richardot’s initial lament has an almost masculine edge to it, and you can feel the bitterness (directed at the gods, not her husband), which makes the eventual hard-won reunion at the opera’s end even more affecting. Just as central is the radiant soprano of Hana Blažíková as the goddess Minerva through whose agency that reunion is brought to fruition.
There is strength in depth, too, with the servant lovers Eurimaco and melanto (Zachary Wilder and Anna Dennis) bringing a welcome lightening of mood and tone, and constantly enlivening the action. Character tenor Robert Burt puts in a star turn as Iro, the gluttonous hanger-on of Penelope’s three unwanted suitors, whose mock lament is a highlight of the performance. Among the rest of the cast, there are standout performances from Gianluca Buratto (a magnificently sonorous Neptune) and tenor Krystian Adam as Ulysses’ son Telemachus.
As ever, the musicians of the English Baroque Soloists are on excellent form. In terms of scoring, Gardiner steers what seems like an ideal mid-course between skeletal but anachronistic literalism and cloying over-opulence. Strings, cornetti, lutes and harp are used to animate the drama, not to add layers of needless varnish to Monteverdi’s finely-drawn musical lines. Recorder players Rachel Beckett and Catherine Latham and leader Kati Debretzini make important and beautifully stylish contributions, while tuttis are underpinned by the double bass of EBS veteran Valerie Botwright.
For the few blank pages left by the opera’s haphazard manuscript transmission, Gardiner makes entirely convincing use of music from other Monteverdi scores so that there is a full complement of dances and choruses, all clearly relished by the combined vocal and instrumental forces. With a clear view of the fundamental human emotions at play in this essentially human drama (incidental deities notwithstanding), combined with a matchless attention to detail, this is a recording of Il ritorno that will have even seasoned Monteverdians reassessing this Cinderella work, and high time too. Emotional insight, well-placed comic turns and moments of heartstopping beauty combine to make this one of the outstanding Monteverdi recordings of recent years.
There are thoughtful essays by Gardiner himself as well as Monteverdi authority Tim Carter, contained in a handsomely presented book which also includes photos from some of the semi-staged concert performances on the tour, while the excellently detailed sound adds to a sense of dramatic immediacy that will have you returning to this wonderful music again and again.
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