Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in patria – Monteverdi
Mariame Clément – Rolando Villazón (Ulisse), Magdalena Kozená (Penelope) – Emmanuelle Haïm, Le concert d'Astrée
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Cast
Mariame Clément — Stage director
Julia Hansen — Scenography, costumes
Bernd Purkrabek — Lighting
Rolando Villazón — Ulisse
Magdalena Kožená — Penelope
Katherine Watson — Junon
Kresimir Spicer — Eumee
Anne-Catherine Gillet — L’Amour / Minerve
Isabelle Druet — La Fortune / Mélantho
Maarten Engeltjes — La Fragilité humaine / Pisandre
Callum Thorpe — Le Temps / Antinoüs
Lothar Odinius — Jupiter / Amphinome
Jean Teitgen — Neptune
Mathias Vidal — Télémaque
Emiliano González Toro — Eurymaque
Jörg Schneider — Irus
Elodie Méchain — Euryclée
Program notes
The Théâtre des Champs Élysées presents Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria in a staging by Mariame Clément, with Rolando Villazón and Magdalena Kožená in the roles of Ulysses and Penelope. After a two decade-long absence, Ulysses returns to Ithaca to his faithful Penelope.
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria is Monteverdi's second opera after his groundbreaking "favola in musica", Orfeo. The curtain draws back to reveal the hero Ulisse at the moment of his return to his beloved Penelope. In recounting what follows, Giacomo Badoaro's rich libretto explores themes both timeless and profoundly human, transporting us to a land where men and gods walk side by side, and tragedy, romance, and comedy come in turns. Although the rich heritage of the madrigal can be heard in the opera's ensemble music, Monteverdi also weaves new and elaborate musical forms–particularly noticeable in the recitar cantando and orchestral ritornellos– creating a sublimely sensual and polychromatic musical experience.
Photo: © Vincent Pontet
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