Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria

World premiere 11. August 1985

Salzburger Festspiele · Felsenreitschule

ORF-Symphonieorchester

Production Michael Hampe
Stage and costume design Mauro Pagano
Light design Hans Toelstede
Choreography Marise Flach
Conductor Jeffrey Tate

My only points of reference in attempting to envision and hear this opera anew, were the catalogue of instruments belonging to the theatre of San Cassiano in Venice (where the work was first performed in 1640/41), Monteverdi’s writings, and, primarily, the scores for the works he himself composed and orchestrated prior to “Ulisse”. All I had to rely on of Monteverdi’s “Ulisse” were the scarce materials that remained (in a copyist’s hand). From these I sought to convincingly recapture, with a modern orchestra, the great range of emotions in Monteverdi’s original.

Hans Werner Henze

The scene takes place in Ithaka, the island in the Ionian sea
performing the prologue: