Claudio Monteverdi (1567 - 1643) / Elena Kats-Chernin (b. 1957)

Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria

26, 28, 30 June 2024

A opera with prologue and three acts

Libretto Giacomo Badoaro

First performed in Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice 1639-1640 carnival season



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Synopsis

Il ritorno d’Ulisse is based on the story told in books 13-23 of Homer’s Odyssey, in which Ulysses returns home from the Trojan War after an absence of twenty years and slays his wife’s suitors, who have taken over his palace.  Giacomo Badoardo’s libretto set to music by the 73-year-old Monteverdi was premiered to great acclaim in 1640 during the carnival season in Venice, and because of its success, it was revived in the following season, an unusual distinction for an opera of the time.

Director Mart van Berckel writes:
Is there such a thing as “a tragedy with a happy ending”?

On the island of Ithaca, Penelope has been waiting for twenty years for the return of her husband Odysseus. The Trojan War is over, but Odysseus is still not back. The chance of him returning alive dwindles with each passing day. For Penelope, time has stood still. While everyone around her continues with their lives, she refuses to accept the fact that her husband may never return. Even when Odysseus finally appears in the palace, it seems impossible for the two lovers to reunite. Is a happy ending still possible?

“The Return of Ulysses” is one of the oldest operas that has survived from the 17th century. Yet, the work is strikingly modern — perhaps even timeless. Text and music come together in a musical drama that is playful, direct, and full of contrasts. Monteverdi ingeniously sketches a layered image of grief, self-deception, despair, and love in his composition.

This version of “The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland” exists in the grey area between life and death, hope and despair, leaving and returning, comedy and tragedy. Elena Kats-Chernin’s adaptation leaves only a small role for the gods. No abstract mythology, but a story about real people of flesh and blood, about their relationships and their deepest fears and desires.

Performed in an orchestration by Elena Kats-Chernin for the Komische Oper Berlin (2012)

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Information

Dates:
26, 28, 30 June 2024

Venue:
Conservatoriumzaal, Amare, The Hague

Creative team

Sasha Scolnik-Brower
conductor

Mart van Berckel
director

Vera Selhorst
set & light design

Rosa Schützendorf
Costume design

Merit Vessies
assistant director

Cast

Hannah Gries (26. & 30.06) / Elisa Maayeshi (28.06)
Minerva

Marcelo Alexandre 
Ulisse

Rommie Rochell (26. & 30.06) / Stefanie Bruggeling (28.06)
Penelope

Henrik Holm
Telemaco

Fabian Homburg
Antinoo

Jack Roberts
Pisandro

Femke Hulsman
Anfinomo

Tba
Eurimaco

Sterre Decru
Melanto

Wessel Wirken
Eumete

tba
Iro

Stefanie Bruggeling (26. & 30.06)/ Rommie Rochell (28.06)
Ericlea

Prologue:

Marcelo Alexandre
L’umana fragilita

Fabian Homburg
Tempo

Samantha Faina
Fortuna

Thalia Cook-Hansen
Amore

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The application deadline for next year’s programme is 14 January 2024.

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