Claudio Monteverdi: il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria (2002)
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
Boguslaw Bidzinski
Eurimaco
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
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