Dutch National Opera Academy & Residentie Orkest conducted by Sasha Scolnik-Brower; Mart van Berckel, director; Vera Selhorst light and set design; Rosa Schützendorf, cosumte design
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)
