Search - Monteverdi - Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses) (Henze version) / Tate, Allen, Kuhlmann, Salzburg Festival on DVD

Magnificat!

G P Padillo | 06/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't believe this production of Il Ritorno D'Ulisse is so put down by the other reviewers. I enjoyed the every second of it. It's not conducted by Harnoncourt but it's very well arranged. The staging is awesome. Magnificent! Well structed, well crafted. The direction is superb and the haunting story goes flawlessly. The singers are the top notch and they look the part and are really great actors. They are also well directed, too. The costume and make-up are very well done. The video quality is quite good and the sound quality is excellent(Dolby Digital 5.1). It's a terrific production. Don't be fooled by the others and don't miss this magnificent production!"

Surprisingly good

Lee Gremillion | Minneapolis, MN | 05/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let me admit right off the bat that early twentieth century opera -- Puccini, Strauss, and Janacek -- is my first love. I put off for a long time getting this Monteverdi work, fearing that it would be a bloodless, continuo-dominated bore. What an eye-opener it was when I finally bought it and watched it! This opera has nothing but gorgeous, dramatic music from beginning to end. It helps that this production has a world-class cast, headed by Sir Thomas Allen. I think (and this is admittedly a personal opinion) that it also helps that the orchestration has been done by a world-class contemporary composer. Since Monteverdi's orchestration, if in fact he ever did it, has not survived, the choices are limited: create some presumably Monteverdi-like imitation, or go with what works best. Henze did the latter, and the result is music to my ears. The staging and technical aspects of the production are also admirable.This production may not appeal to period purists, but I found it most enjoyable, and suspect that other aficianados of modern opera will as well."

SPECTACULAR ! Authentic, yet updated.

Adam L. Molella | Joliet, Illinois United States | 11/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's like Monteverdi himself came back to bring this
Opera up to date ! STAGING MAKES FANTASTIC CONCEPTS
MANIFEST INTO REALITY-- surreal. Zeus IS on a throne in
the clouds with an eagle stained glass window, Diane's chariot
IS riding the clouds, Neptune DOES rise out of the Sea in
a chariot drawn by giant sea horses. Ulysses cries out
as Saturn (the grim reaper with wings), cupid, and destiny
ACTUALLY terrify him AND YOU !!! The singing done on a stage
that looks like a giant atom-- AND YOU ARE THERE !
The camera-man does his job well, and it's NOT like camera
on a tripod. The recording is clear. The performance is
outstanding. The orchestra does an excellent job with
modern instruments-- the only way it could have been more
authentic would be to break out museum instruments !!!
Monteverdi clearly intented music for scenes like
Neptune rising out of the sea and Zeus thundering in the
heavens to have a "KINGLY" sound like a entrance for CAESAR
(or something like that)--GODS NEED THE HORNS -- and the
ORF Symphony Orchestra does an excellent job of providing them.
The music is supposed to provide an AWESOME sound effect,
and the use of instrumentation provides that.
Unlike "L'ORFEO", where the music often needs to be that of sweet
nymphs and shepherds, "IL RITORNO D'ULISSE IN PATRIA" is about
large gods and large scale events."

One of the best operas on DVD

BWV | Markl am Inn, Bayern | 03/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the best operas on DVD! Buy it, enjoy it!
Outstanding performance of the hole cast.
Daphne Evangelatos and Thomas Allan are really fabulous.
The orchestration by Hans Werner Henze is full of emotions, fits perfect and is an great bonus to the beautiful Monteverdi basis.
If you like the pure Monteverdi, you will love this Monteverdi-Henze mixture.
The staging is really poetic and beautiful made."