Monteverdi - Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria / Benjamin Luxon, Janet Baker, Robert Lloyd, Richard Lewis, Anne Howells, Raymond Leppard, Glyndebourne Opera

I never saw 'Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria' live but was fortunate to see it in a live television performance and, at long last, have a copy of the DVD, courtesy of Amazon. The recording is presumably a video or even film of a live production of the Opera given at Glyndbourne during the 1970s when Raymond Leppard and Peter Hall conspired to recreate something which gave a flavour of early opera, in terms of music, drama, stage machinery and costumes of the period. However, beyond the mechanics is a performance by Janet Baker and Benjamin Luxon which brings to life a vibrant slice of life, a near tragedy, great longing, revenge and, ultimately, reconcilliation. The story os simple, after ten years Ulisses returns to his homeland. Recognised by his old retainer and later his son Telemachus, he is advised by Minerva to be cunning and disguises him as a beggar because his wife, the faithful Penelope, is in great danger from the attentions of rival suitors who wish to marry her in order to ravage Ulisses kingdom by their greed. In disguise Ulisses arrives at his palace when the suitors have made it plain that Penelope may no longer prevaricate and must choose between them. Inspired by Minerva, she says she will accept anyone who is able to shoot Ulisses' bow. The suitors try but all fail and the beggar Ulisses asks to try. He strings the bow with ease and kills the suitors and conspiritors. Thus he has doubly won Penelope - by faithful love and victory of arms. At first Penelope is shocked and confused, even when Ulisses is returnedto his own form by Minerva butgradually persuades her it is he by describing the coverlet on her bed which she had woven, depicting chaste Diana, which only he could have seen. The opera is about longing, loss and reconcilliation but it is the power and beauty of Baker's voice, truthful, powerful and subtle which is the focus. She underplays the drama, touches the soul with her voice, her majestic presence, a public and confiding voice draws the viewer-listener to share her anguish, dread and longing. Luxon's voice is at his best, assured, bell-like and seductive. His duets with Minerva, Telemachus and the old retainer are joyous and mirror Baker's twists of mood. It is, however, the final act, with the stage empty of all but Ulisses and Penelope, he on the far right she far left,that the drama reaches its natural, human and dramatic conclusion; recognition, (signalled by the 'ting' of a cymbal,) a gradual moving together and finally they embrace and sing the most bitter-sweet duet not heard again until the Count and Countess Almaviva reconcilliation duet written by Mozart in last Act of the Marriage of Figaro. It is only as an afterthought that one realises that the ending is a conclusion, a resolution but also a beginning...

I was not at all familiar with this opera before viewing it but was familiar with The Odyssey, a story I've loved since high school English class, so I took a chance. At first I found the production very odd - the opening scene made me think I'd made a terrible mistake with its sparse stage, tacky props, and singers dropping from the ceiling like flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz. It seemed rather amateurish (and quite dated). But once Janet Baker and Benjamin Luxon took the stage, I was hooked. Their singing is fantastic - strong, passionate and resonant, and their facial expressions perfectly convey their emotions. The costumes were also wonderful, and the music glorious. I found it odd that the conductor and audience were never shown, nor do we get to see the performers take their bows. Based on the tepid applause, I'd have to guess the crowd was pretty small, or half asleep, for these performers surely deserved a greater ovation. Aside from these minor gripes, I was very pleased with this opera and this performance. I would recommend it to anyone who loves fine singing, early music, or the Ulysses story. I am now an admiring fan of Monteverdi and of both lead singers. Hang in there after the quirky prologue and you're in for a treat.

This performance, dating from 1973, features a cast of excellent English singers. Ben Luxon and Janet Baker are the leading characters and both have fine voices and polished artistry. The accompaniment is not as lean, thanks to Mr. Leppard's edition, as more modern representations but it is not as unbearable as another reviewer has indicated. One positive thing about the production is it's simplicity and directness. There is no attempt to liven up the action having the singers lurch about between each phrase. Monteverdi's operas are very static and many stage directors seem to fall all over themselves to disguise this fact. After a few viewings, this becomes annoying and ceases to serve the purpose for which it was intended. One can carp about a lack of authenticity (do we really know what that was in Monteverdi's time?) or just enjoy the production for what is does deliver. Not being a native speaker of Italian I find that several hours of recitative does not hold my interest. The cuts in this opera are welcome.

Dear God.... What a HORRIBLE production!!!!!!! Although I have always been a fan of early music and a stickler for authentic performance practise, I have never poo-pooed modern instrument productions by Leppard, as they are (usually) musically enjoyable just the same. Not so for this recording! Although there are moments of beautiful string playing, most of the opera is accompanied recatitive. Unfortunately, the accompaniment seems to consist only of a poorly reconstructed, clangy sounding harpsichord that sounds more like a construction site than a musical instrument, a strange organ that almost sounds synthesized (think scooby doo background music), and an entire section of cellos and basses with strange timbres and vibrato so wide it seems to fluctuate in octaves. Occasionally, one or two harps will chime in, playing rolling chords that have very little to do with the harmonic progression of the vocal line. BAD BAD BAD!!!! If Monteverdi had been living in 1979 to hear this, he would have had a heart attack! It resembles more the audacious Henze production from the '80s than Leppard's other realizations (which are okay). I only recommend this DVD as an introduction to Monteverdi for Hippies. Otherwise, you will do well to buy any other DVD of this opera. My favorite is the 2002 William Christie Production. In short, do not buy this if you want to hear music written by the composer listed on the fromt cover of this DVD.

Not the way it's done nowadays but this spectacular production is strong on imagination, does not work against the opera and enshrines fine performances all round capped by Janet Baker on stupendous form.

La puesta en escena dista de la de Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. Aunque aceptable.

Janet Baker gehört zu meinen Lieblings-Mezzos. Sie hat eine sehr interessante dramatische Stimme die mit etwas Schluchzen, was mir sogar sehr gut gefällt, untermalt ist. Barockmusik ist Ihr Fach, indem Sie großen Erfolg gewann und auch Ihr Gesangs-Genré in erster Linie war. All Ihre Bühnenaufführungen sind eine Sensation und großartig in Ihrer Handlung. Janet Baker wurde durch die Queen zur Dame ernannt und diesen Titel trägt Sie auch in Ihrer Persönlichkeit.

A very well executed version of what is in my opinion, the least interesting story line of any of Monteverdi's operas! What the story line lacks, the music makes up for. Whilst I have little to say about this opera, I will say that I have no regrets acquiring it. Best listened to with eyes closed, though you may want to keep them open for at least the first 10 minutes, ... these will speak for themselves.

A historic performance that marked the start of the current resurgence of interest in early opera. A sound production by Peter Hall