Monteverdi: Il Ritorno D'Ulisse In Patria / Garrido

Amazon.com
Monteverdi's Il Ritorno d'Ulisse ("The Return of Ulysses") is more difficult to bring off on record than the more famous L'Orfeo. Whereas Orfeo has a virtuoso centerpiece aria, memorable choruses, and a large, colorful orchestra, Ulisse survives with only the characters' vocal parts notated over basso continuo (a bass line over which chordal instruments improvise an accompaniment)--the choruses and the instrumental interludes indicated in the libretto are missing. Most conductors reviving Ulisse today orchestrate the score--René Jacobs, for example, not only imported sinfonias from other works, but composed extensive parts for violins, cornetts, etc. to accompany the singers. Gabriel Garrido has added instrumental pieces and adapted madrigals for the choruses to accommodate the full libretto, but he leaves accompanying the soloists to his 10 splendid continuo players. Those soloists are outstanding, with pleasing voices, excellent diction, and solid Monteverdian style. Most crucially, Garrido and his cast show an unerring sense of when to speed through recitative as if it were conversation, when to linger over the notes, and when to employ a solid rhythmic pulse. Jacobs's version may have more theatrical excitement, but Garrido makes more beautiful music--and, ultimately, more convincing drama. --Matthew Westphal

Monteverdi: Il Ritorno D'Ulisse In Patria / Garrido,Claudio Monteverdi,Gabriel Garrido,Gloria Banditelli,Furio Zanasi,Maria Cristina Kiehr,Jean-Paul Fouchécourt,Fabian Schfrin,Guillemette Laurens,Ensemble Elyma,Coro Antonio Il Verso,K617 Records,Classical,Classical Music,Opera / Operetta / Oratorio

Average customer rating:

The voice and the music of human feelings, passions and sufferings
a noble and magical saga - and cheap too
The best Ulisse available

Monteverdi: Il Ritorno D'Ulisse In Patria / Garrido
Claudio Monteverdi , Gabriel Garrido , Gloria Banditelli , Furio Zanasi , Maria Cristina Kiehr , Jean-Paul Fouchécourt , Fabian Schfrin , Guillemette Laurens , Ensemble Elyma , and Coro Antonio Il Verso
Manufacturer: K617 Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000G5P7
Release Date: 1999-01-25

Tracks:

Sinf - Ens Elyma/Gabriel Garrido
Prologue - Fabian Schofrin/Marcello Vargetto/Maria Cristina Kiehr/Adriana Fernandez
Atto Primo, Scene I: 'Di Misera Regina' - Gloria Banditelli/Alicia Borges
Atto Primo, Scene II: 'Duri E Penosi' - Marcio Cecchetti/Guillemette Laurens
Atto Primo, Scene III: 'Fermimo I Sibili' - Chor Antonio Il Verso
Atto Primo, Scene IV Et V - Antonio Abete/Giovanni Caccamo
Atto Primo, Scene VI: 'In Questo Basso Mondo' - Chor Antonio Il Verso
Atto Primo, Scene VII: 'Dormo Ancora O Son Desto?' - Furio Zanasi
Atto Primo, Scene VIII: 'Cara E Lieta Gioventu' - Furio Zanasi/Maria Cristina Kiehr
Atto Primo, Scene IX - Chor Antonio Il Verso/Maria Cristina Kiehr/Furio Zanasi

Tracks:

Atto Secondo, Scene I: 'Donate Un Giorno' - Gloria Banditelli/Guillemette Laurens
Atto Secondo, Scene II: 'Oh, Come Mal Si Salva' - Roberto Abbondanza
Atto Secondo, Scene III: 'Pastor D'Armenti Puo' - Roberto Abbondanza/Gian Paolo Fagotto
Atto Secondo, Scene IV: 'Ulisse Generoso' - Furio Zanasi/Roberto Abbondanza
Atto Secondo, Scene V: 'Lieto, Lieto Camino' - Maria Cristina Kiehr/Jean-Paul Fouchecourt
Atto Secondo, Scene VI: 'O Gran Figlio D'Ulisse!' - Roberto Abbondanza/Furio Zanasi/Jean-Paul Fouchecourt
Atto Secondo, Scene VII - Jean-Paul Fouchecourt/Furio Zanasi
Atto Terzo, Scene I: 'Eurimaco, La Donna' - Mario Cecchetti/Guillemette Laurens
Atto Terzo, Scene II: 'Sono L'Altre' - Giovoanni Caccamo/Fabian Schofrin/Mario Cecchetti/Gloria Banditelli/Marcello Vargetto
Atto Terzo, Scene III: 'Dame In Amor' - Il Ritorno D' Ulisse In Patria
Atto Terzo, Scene IV - Roberto Abbondanza/Gloria Banditelli
Atto Terzo. Scene V: 'Compagni, Udiste?' - Giovanni Caccamo/Fabian Schofrin/Mario Cecchetti/Marcello Vargetto
Atto Terzo, Scene VI: 'Perir Non Puo' - Maria Cristina Kiehr/Furio Zanasi
Atto Terzo, Scene VII: 'Lo Vidi, O Pellegrin' - Furio Zanasi/Roberto Abbondanza

Tracks:

Atto Quarto, Scene I: 'Del Mio Lungo' - Gloria Banditelli/Jean-Paul Fouchecourt
Atto Quarto, Scene II: 'Sempre, Villano' - Roberto Abbondanza/Gian Paolo Fagotto/Furio Zanasi/Gloria Banditelli//Marcello Vargetto
Atto Quarto, Scene III: 'Generosa Regina' - Gloria Banditelli/Giovanni Caccamo/Guuillemette Laurens/Fabian Schofrin
Atto Quinto, Scene I: 'Oh Dolor, Oh Martir Che L'Alma...' - Gian Paolo Fagotto
Atto Quinto. Scene II A IV: 'E Quai Nuovi Rumori'/'Forza D'Occulto Affetto' - Gloria Banditelli/Guuillemette Laurens/Roberto Abbondanza/
Atto Quinto, Scene V: 'E Saggio Eumete' - Roberto Abbondanza/Gloria Banditelli/Jean-Paul Fouchecourt
Atto Quinto, Scene VI: 'Fiamma E L'Ira' - Adriana Fernandez/Maria Cristina Kiehr
Atto Quinto, Scene VII: 'Gran Giove' - Giovanni Caccamo/Antonio Abete/Chor Antonio Il Verso/Adriana Fernandez
Atto Quinto, Scene VIII: 'Ericlea, Che Vuoi Far?' - Alicia Borges
Atto Quinto, Scene IX Et X: 'Ogni Nostra Ragion'/'O Delle Mie Fatiche' - Jean-Paul Fouchecourt/Roberto Abbondanza/Alicia Borges/Gloria Banditelli/Furio Zanasi
Atto Quinto, Epiloque: 'Pugna Spesso' - Chor Antonio Il Verso

Amazon.com

Monteverdi's Il Ritorno d'Ulisse ("The Return of Ulysses") is more difficult to bring off on record than the more famous L'Orfeo. Whereas Orfeo has a virtuoso centerpiece aria, memorable choruses, and a large, colorful orchestra, Ulisse survives with only the characters' vocal parts notated over basso continuo (a bass line over which chordal instruments improvise an accompaniment)--the choruses and the instrumental interludes indicated in the libretto are missing. Most conductors reviving Ulisse today orchestrate the score--René Jacobs, for example, not only imported sinfonias from other works, but composed extensive parts for violins, cornetts, etc. to accompany the singers. Gabriel Garrido has added instrumental pieces and adapted madrigals for the choruses to accommodate the full libretto, but he leaves accompanying the soloists to his 10 splendid continuo players. Those soloists are outstanding, with pleasing voices, excellent diction, and solid Monteverdian style. Most crucially, Garrido and his cast show an unerring sense of when to speed through recitative as if it were conversation, when to linger over the notes, and when to employ a solid rhythmic pulse. Jacobs's version may have more theatrical excitement, but Garrido makes more beautiful music--and, ultimately, more convincing drama. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

The voice and the music of human feelings, passions and sufferings.......2006-12-20

This opera by Monteverdi is, after Orfeo, a great step towards modern opera in many ways but it is a lot more than just a great step. We are at once surprised that old harmonics and ways of playing or singing have disappeared. No gregorian heritage any more in this music. We are entering the new style entirely and leaving the old one behind. But it is still a lot more. Orfeo was dealing with a primitive story in many ways : going down into hell to recuperate his love and yet losing her completely out of pure foolishness. That was primitive of Orfeo in many ways not to understand the great privilege he had, primitive and irresponsible. With Ulysses we are entering a completely different world. Love it is for sure, love of Ulysses for his wife Penelope that makes him come back finally, or rather beg and get the permission to go back from the gods, the ruthless and vengeful gods that want to punish humanity for their triteness after having punished Troy for Paris' vanity. That is a weak argument indeed. These gods are in no way logical. They should be willing to accept the fact that these humans who carried out the gods' vengeance should be protected and rewarded by these very same and satisfied gods. But gods are never satisfied and always ask for more sacrifices and sacrificial victims. This discourse is not only on ancient pagan gods but it is about the christian God too. God has invented, created some say, a world of justice, peace and love, and yet it is nothing but a constant strifing struggling survival adventure that means victims, death, sacrifices, more victims, etc, to satiate, maybe, God's thirst for blood, vengeance, violence, as if God could not exist without this constant anger and killing. And yet it goes even farther than that. The love of Ulysses for Penelope and of Penelope for Ulysses is so powerful that no one, not even the gods, can make them change their minds, make them step out of their self-appointed straight path. No one and nothing can disturb their resolution and distort their targeted objective and the path leading to its fulfillment. The whole opera is about this fight of the gods, but also of time, fate and love, that is to say human nature, by definition frail, that is easily tricked and changed by these three evanescent but always present end everlasting temptations or circumstances. This background reinforces the resolution and determination of both Ulysses and Penelope to reach and attain their goal, which is to be reunited in their mutual love. This shows in a way that man, and woman, is more powerful than God if he, or she, wants to be. This is typically Renaissance in a way. And yet Monteverdi is still from his tradtional time. Ulysses will manage to come home. But Penelope will not believe it, believe him. And yet to come to that final possibility, three goddesse will have intervened. Minerva of course, and first of all, but then Juno who is called in to help Minerva, and finally Diana, as the goddess of pure love and purity for women, who is invoked at the very end of the opera, Diana, the triple goddess, this goddess that can represent Hecate, the goddess of death and hell, Semele, the goddess of the moon anbd the night, and Diana herself, the goddess of life, purity, nature, young animals and so many other things, in one word fertility and life. And these three goddesses will have to help bring the gods down from their obstinate blindness or their blind obstinacy : they want to get some kind of vengeance and do not know when and where to stop. That will have to come from Jupiter who will have to convince Neptune. What a long road to salvation ! This divine structure set to work by Monteverdi goes beyond modernity into heritage and beyond heritage into questioning the present and maybe inventing the future. The music and the singing are absolutely remarkable because we no longer have some kind of beautiful musical accompaniment, though it may still be there from time to time. We no longer have a music that is purely the musical embodiment of the drama, though it may still be there from time to time. We reach the level of music becoming the perfect carving of human feelings in the pure marble of the instruments and the voices, the notes and the intervals. The voices are chosen to express these feelings and Penelope for instance will remain, nearly all along, the wailing and lamenting voice of deprived faithfulness. In the same way every voice expresses the feelings of the characters in their very textures and in the music that guides them onto the road of singing. There are so many moments of perfection in that dimension of this opera that we could not even start quoting them all. Music is no longer the voice of God or the song of angels. Music is the exhilarating exploration of the human mind and the human heart. We are opening the door to the most advanced modernity of all times. And I shiver when saying of all times, because at times I feel that Hildegarde von Bingen had maybe reached the same intensity of psychological and spiritual vision.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Paris Dauphine & University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne

a noble and magical saga - and cheap too.......2000-03-28

This set presents a different reading to the opulent Rene Jacobs performance, though that is extremely enjoyable too. This one is restrained, but has an intensity in its story telling that is very compelling. It is extremely well cast, with singers that can act with the voice, subtle vocal inflexion being an essential to bring alive Monteverdi's extraordinary declamation. Gloria Banditelli presents a Penelope that is very much a slow burner, but riveting in her intensity of the opening lament (CD 1, track 3), and in her scene with Telemaco (Jean Paul Fouchecourt) who handles the big monologue about Helen of Troy very impressively (CD 3 track 1). Garrido, like Jacobs fills in the missing portions of this drama with music from other works of Monteverdi, and some of his contemporaries, and these scenes, in general more fully scored and extrovert, contrast well with the more intimate and sparsely instrumented scenes of human drama. I would question the use of an interpolated chorus at the very close of Act 5 - Jacobs ends the opera with the duet for the reunited Ulisse and Penelope, which feels musically and dramatically right - but its a small point, and you can omit the chorus yourself!

I'm giving 4 out of 5 stars, just because the set does not come with an English translation - a drawback in as literary an opera as this - it is translated into French. Is this why it's so cheap? - a bargain indeed.

The best Ulisse available.......1999-10-14

Forget the old Harnoncourt recording: Sure it was an outstandig achievment in the early seventies, but today is really outdated. Jacobs version is fine indeed, but this recording is splendid and surpasses it. The singers are simply starring, specially Gloria Banditelli as Penelope (the lament in the fist act is breathtaking). Garrido chooses the right instruments for each ocasion, and the right sinfonias and chorus for the missing parts, all with a high sense of good taste and sensibility for the drama. An exceptional recording.

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