Customer Reviews

Monteverdi - Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria / William Christie, Les Arts Florissants, Adrian Noble (Aix-en-Provence Festival)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This a first-rate performance and indispensable addition to early opera on DVD. If you check out my other reviews, you will see that I think very highly of the Jacobs recording from harmonia mundi france, on CD. This is no less magnificent a performance, plus it is a DVD, with superb sound, a compelling staging -- and, at one disk, about 40% the cost of a performance on CD!

The ensembles in the prologue are not quite as refined a blending of voices as in the Jacobs performance, and the Tempo / Nettuno is a weak but not disabling link in the cast. Human Frailty is sung by the countertenor Rashid Ben Abdeslam. I find his voice extraordinary for being innately sweet-sounding but capable of shadowed tones. The decision to have this brief role sung completely nude was risky, but the effect in context is completely natural. It heightens the vulnerability of the allegorical character as he is beleaguered by Time, by Fortune, and by Love. The prologue in baroque opera can be an odd device -- abstract, removed as it is from the immediate action of the opera. Here, the archetypical confrontation of humankind with the forces thwarting its happiness is full of pathos, situating us emotionally for the story about to unfold.

Musically and dramatically, this is a performance that cannot be faulted. I attended a performance of this production at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2002. Viewing the DVD, I found myself just as absorbed, just as moved, just as awe-struck as I was experiencing it live.

The production design and staging are noble in their inspired simplicity. The visual element never intrudes itself. It only enhances the eternal beauty of the music, bespeaking antiquity, timelessness, and truth. The action unfolds on a sand-covered stage. A large urn in the opening scene is enough to tell us we are in Penelope's palace. Other effective stage devices include Telemaco's ride on Minerva's chariot, their exhilarating flight evoked by a suspended platform and an enormous swath of waving fabric. The heavens where the deities hold their counsel is depicted by a three-dimensional grid of tiny lights. The slaying of the suitors is a true coup de theatre.

There are many many high points in the cast and in the musical performance. Mijanovic as Penelope is intense and regal. Her Ulisse, Kresimir Spicek, is burly and heroic. His ringing tenor has unsuspected poise, depth, and sensitivity. The portrayal of Ulisse must be strong and affecting, to convey the enormity of these final moments of his twenty-year journey. Spicek's performance is second to none in the catalog.

The Minerva is an assured singer and amazing actress. The Eumete is charmingly characterized and beautifully sung by Joseph Cornwell -- as the loyal shepherd he is downright lovable. The buffoon Iro is expertly integrated into the more serious surroundings. Cyril Auvity as Telemaco seems impossibly young, but his singing is fervent and accomplished. Giove is interestingly portrayed -- the singer's fairly light tenor is a Zen-like presence. Even the impetuous couple Eurimaco and Melanta, minor roles, are sung expertly and portrayed delightfully. The suitors, too, are impressive; however, I rather more enjoyed the madrigalesque stylizations as heard on the Jacobs recording.

Monteverdi's ability to marry language and music has not been surpassed in the 400 years since he pioneered the operatic art form. But he requires knowledgeable, sympathetic, talented advocacy to bring the notes on the page to life. This he finds in William Christie, who here demonstrates that his brilliance is not confined to the French baroque repertoire.

One of the most beautiful moments in the opera is the duet between Ulisse and Eumete as they address Telemaco, "Dolce speme il cor lusinga." The recognition scene between Ulisse and Telemaco that follows ("Mortal, tutto confida e tutto spera") is vibrant in its emotional immediacy. It is as moving in its way as the ecstatic recognition scene between Ulisse and Penelope that is the opera's finale.

Bravo, Maestro Christie! You have given us an unforgettable experience. This is artistic expression at its best -- ennobling and enlightening. This is easily my favorite opera DVD. It is far superior to the Harnoncourt competitor, which I would give maybe 3 stars, although Kasarova is no less formidable a Penelope.

For the enlightenment of nudity-sensitive viewers everywhere. The nudity on display in the opera is a) confined to the prolog; and b) far less prevalent, and far more dimly lit, than the nudity one would see in any room dedicated to Renaissance Art in any museum.

The character portrayed nude in the prolog was "L'Umana Fragilita," or Human Frailty. The prolog is an allegory, a symbolic representation of how Time, Fortune, and Love beset Humanity. In some stagings the singer who plays Ulisse also takes on the role of L'Umana Fragilita, but usually (as here) not. It is too bad that the below reviewer did not make it past the prolog to find this out.

This performance has exemplary singing, compelling acting, and elegant staging. It is a work of tremendous beauty and spirit. Contrary to innuendo, it is not a Renaissance-period "Oh, Calcutta!" The visual style is not even vaguely Mapplethorpian, and the nudity serves only to heighten the humanity. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed by being "exposed" to this performance. But, then again, "entertainment" is not the word I would associate with it either. It's something more along the lines of enlightenment and elevation.

This is opera as theatre, this is opera as it should always be. This elegant and very effective production from France is gorgeous to look at and marvelous to hear. All the singers were chosen for their looks: they all look young, slim and attractive, but they all are also stylish, musical, and imaginative. Marijana Mijanovic (better known for her Giulio Cesare recording under Minkowski) is a poignant Penelope, and there is obvious rapport with her husband who sings Ulisse. Monteverdi's marvelous opera is taken seriously, thank God, there is nothing to contradict him, as in so many contemporary productions.
Everybody involved in this unforgetable production deserves a standing ovation, but none more than William Christie who makes a work of art out of Ulisse.
This is truly one of the finest dvds in the market, it would be ridiculous to miss it.

I feel I have little to add to the other reviewers' comments, but am so enthusiastic about this performance / recording that I am compelled to add my own endorsement. Finally, a performance of Ulisse that makes its spendid case for Monteverdi's brilliant, late opera without resorting to muscial gimmicks to make it more "appealing" to modern audiences (though one might argue about the dramatic rationale for a naked Human Frailty, this is not without precedent and if it sells a few a more DVD's that's all the better). I believe this performance owes much to Alan Curtis's recently published edition of the work (available from Novello), and I very much enjoyed following the score. The staging is simple and elegant. Characterizations are clear but never caricatures. Some of the "smaller" roles emerge brilliantly - especially the Eumete of Joseph Cornwell - but there really are no weak links. So don't wait....it probably won't get any better than this in either audio or video formats. I wouldn't discourage anyone from also buying the Jacobs audio recording (Harmonia Mundi) - and I for one will enjoy both and feel grateful that we now have two great recordings of this long-neglected work.

I love this production. The singing, the music, the ensemble and the staging.
There is little to be added to any of the other positive reviews of this great work. Marijana Mijanovič is a very fine and expressive Penelope - her voice is somewhat masculine and even a little "countertenorish". Krešimir Špicer makes a very engaging Ulisse, perhaps a little young, but he has great chemistry with the other members of the cast - who are all outstanding.

The orchestra of Les Arts Florissants is small - cornetti, violins, viola, recorder, dulcian and large continuo group provide us with just enough colour and texture to highlight the drama of the opera. It is hard to imagine a better production of this work.

A word about the nudity at the start of the opera. Some silly prude was bothered by this in one of the reviews presented here. All I can say is "Grow up!" - this is an opera written by an adult, performed by adults for adults. The scene with L'Umana Fragilità is one of the best in the opera - the naked Rachid Ben Ardeslam gives us a vivid picture of an early human being surrounded by the Gods, he believes, who rule his destiny.

Actually, I personally found the oozing sexuality of Katalin Károlyi much more "disturbing" and compelling than the nudity of Rachid Ben Ardeslam. Katalin Károlyi is probably the sexiest opera singer I've ever seen - and she keeps her clothes on!

This is a bold production, highly stylized but never static. I enjoyed it as such. However, it's the music that matters, and the music is glorious. The singing is far more technically masterful than the Rene Jacobs and other recordings. The instrumental ensemble is nearly divine.

Approximately 20 years ago I saw a production of Ulysses mounted at San Francisco Opera with Thomas Hampson in his debut in the role of Ulisse and Frederica von Stade as Penelope. To say that I was underwhelmed is to put it lightly. That was, without question, the longest evening of musical theatre that I have ever had the misfortune to sit through and I wasn't alone in my displeasure. At intermission, half the house cleared out and those that remained, spent the second half of the performance sleeping or admiring their cuticles. I would have left, too; however, the tickets were a gift from a friend who joined me and I thought it grossly impolite to walk out. Mind you, he was snoring up a storm. It was a dreadful affair: Turgid, old-fashioned and static, it was a lifeless production that put me off to Monteverdi for years. It wasn't until five years later that I saw a first rate production of Poppea that I reassessed my appreciation for the Venetian master's art. I realized then just how vibrant and beautiful these works can be. Of the three extant Monteverdi operas, I've always found Ulisse the least accessible of the lot. It is, for the most part, more interior and subtle, more psychological drama than musical spectacle, but that's not at all a bad thing. This wonderful production from the Aix-en-Provence Festival is a winner on every level. Talk about effective direction and design. A sand covered stage framed on either side by two high walls and a large arched entry upstage is pretty much all there is to the set. Some singers scale the walls, while others ascend from beneath the stage, others still descend from the rafters or stride in through the arched portal. The lighting is effective but unobtrusive, a dramatic device used with great economy. This whole production, for me, was an exercise in restraint. A studied but vital mounting. It thankfully lacked pretense. Too often nowadays, the drama and beauty of opera gets bogged down or lost all together in productions that want to revolutionize the art form regardless of whether the audience feels it needs it or not. Striving to make the works contemporary and relevant, they end up confusing what's important with what's impressive and what is insight with what is manipulation. This production is a perfect example of how you can be relevant and fresh while still respecting the source. It steers clear of the cheap, sensationalistic and the vulgar. Save for some dimly lit and brief nudity in the prologue, there is nothing here to shock. Calixto Bieito this ain't. All of the singers were wonderful, especially Marijana Mijanovic's beautifully delivered Penelope. Her dark hued mezzo was like balm to the ears, rich as molasses and just as sweet. Kresimir Spicer (a name unknown to me) is a dramatically and vocally convincing Ulisse. There was such tenderness in his "Gia Que Sorte e Felice" and Mijanovic responded in kind. I can't think of a remotely weak link in the cast. William Christie's commitment to Monteverdi is both well known and unparalleled and he sure as heck doesn't disappoint here. Wonderful from beginning to end.

This is a magnificent, moving, authentic performance of what is arguably the greatest opera ever written. It is music drama as Wagner could only wish making. And I love Wagner. Also, it doesn't hurt that two leading women are stunning. If the prologue with the not-so-goodlooking naked male makes you uncomfortable just go to menu and skip it. This performance is essential for any lover of opera. Buy it and you will watch it again and again. Mr. Gregson says it very well.

As a long, long, long-time opera lover with shelves groaning with LPs, CDs, DVDs and even some 78s, I often wonder if the art form declined almost immediately after its brilliant beginnings in the sublime works of Claudio Monteverdi. If the original idea of opera was to emulate ancient Greek tragedy -- a deeply serious and elevated form of drama in which music and chant served to intensify the meaning and emotional force of the poetic text -- Monteverdi's achievement seems truer to that aesthetic model than almost everything that followed up until Wagner! Monteverdi's sensitivity to the word and his feeling for the humanity of his characters is astounding -- and his operas are profound and very, very beautiful. Of course, the fact that he and his terrific librettist for "Il ritorno" (Giacomo Badoaro) do not strictly adhere to the so-called Aristotelian unities (of time, space, and action) is hardly Greek: "Il ritorno," with its variety of "high and low" characters and its mixture of comedy and tragedy, reflects the sort of Renaissance ideal we see at its flowery best in Shakespeare. So we're still in good company.

Wonderful and terrible at the same time is the fact that "Il ritorno" exists only in fragmented form -- and we do not even know for certain what instruments were intended for the orchestra. That means every time we see or hear "Il ritorno," it is virtually a new work! Scenes come and go, and instrumentation changes according to the whim and/or deep research of the conductor/editor. I adore what Raymond Leppard did with it (and you can still get that version in an old taped-for-TV Glyndebourne release containing a heartbreaking performance of Penelope by the glorious Dame Janet Baker). But William Christie and Les Arts Florissants are the superb early music purists du jour, and I love almost all his DVD stuff, even when the stage direction is total madness -- and sometimes utterly awful as in the multi-media circus of Rameau's "Les Paladins" on Opus Arte (a sort of perverse must-have item).

Anyhow, this disc is just wonderful - and although there is much to quibble about in many of the staging choices - it delivers an emotional wallop. Like most viewer-listeners, I like this bit, then hate that. But I would not be without this DVD! I wish it were on Blu-ray.

As far as the plentiful competition for this "Il ritorno" is concerned, all the discs at Amazon have something wonderful to offer. Too bad the fun, super-souped-up Hans Werner Henze version is going for absurdly high prices -- $75 and way up -- from private sellers.

LAF and William Christie always perform very good .
Marvellous staging and singers !!!!