Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria
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| Title: | The homecoming of Odysseus |
| Original title: | Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria |
Title page of the libretto, Venice 1641 |
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| Shape: | Opera in a prologue and three acts |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | Claudio Monteverdi |
| Libretto : | Giacomo Badoaro |
| Literary source: | Homer : Odyssey XIII – XXIV |
| Premiere: | 1640 |
| Place of premiere: | Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo or Teatro San Cassiano |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ½ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Ithaca , after the Trojan War |
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prolog
action
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Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria ( German The Homecoming of Odysseus ) is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Claudio Monteverdi . The libretto is by Giacomo Badoaro , who used the 13th to the 23rd Canto of Homer's Odyssey as a template. The opera was probably premiered in 1640 at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo or Teatro San Cassiano in Venice.
content
The score handed down in Vienna contains a prologue and three acts. The preserved libretti, on the other hand, name five acts. The scene division of the following table of contents is based on the Viennese score.
prolog
In the prologue, the allegory of “human frailty” ( L'Humana fragilità ) laments that it is dominated by the fast passing time ( Il Tempo ), capricious happiness ( La Fortuna ) and blind love ( Amore ), and is dominated by this is mocked.
first act
Royal Palace on Ithaca, Queen's Chamber
Scenes 1 and 2. Queen Penelope insists that her husband, King Ulisse ( Odysseus ) of Ithaca , who has been absent for twenty years , will return, while everyone else, except Ulisse's wet nurse , Ericlea , is no longer expecting it. Penelope laments the separation and her distressed situation. - Melanto , Penelope's servant, enjoys love with Eurimaco .
Near the sea
Scene 3 (deleted in Vienna). Choir of Nereids and Sirens .
Scenes 4–5. Some Phaeacians approach in a ship and bed the sleeping Ulisse and his belongings on the beach, near the grotto of the Naiads ( Sinfonia ). - Neptune laments the arrogance of the people. Jupiter allows the god of the sea to petrify the Phaeacians because they have led Ulisse home.
Scenes 6–7. The Phaeacians sing about human autonomy. Neptune transforms them into a new rock off the coast of Ithaca. - Ulisse finds himself on the beach in Ithaca, which he does not recognize at first. He complains that his allegedly unfaithful companions abandoned him.
Scenes 8–9. Minerva appears disguised as a shepherd boy and announces that he has stranded on his home island, where Penelope has remained loyal to him. She advises him to go to the palace, disguised as a begging old man, which is occupied by Penelope's suitors. ( This is where the first act of the Venetian version ended. ) - The Naiads carry Ulisse's possessions into their grotto. Minerva sends the hero to the Arethusa spring , where he will find his old shepherd Eumete . Meanwhile, the goddess herself wants to bring Telemaco back to Ithaca.
Back in the palace
Scene 10. Melanto tries to convince Penelope to give up hope of Ulisse's return and to remarry.
Wooded landscape near Eumetes Hut
Scenes 11–13. Eumete compares the afflicted situation of his queen with the satisfaction of man in nature. - The free Iro comes in and mocks Eumete for his love of nature. He returned the mockery and chased away the gourmet. - Eumete does not recognize the approaching Ulisse; but the latter prophesies the speedy return of his master.
Second act
Wooded landscape
Scenes 1–3. Minerva leads Telemaco in a flying chariot and the king reveals himself to him. The approaching Eumete and Ulisse greet the king's son respectfully and announce the imminent return of the king. - A ray from heaven opens the earth, which devours the king disguised as an old man. Soon the rejuvenated Ulisse appears and reveals himself to his son.
In the palace
Scenes 4–5. Melanto and Eurimaco complain about the haughty stubbornness of Penelope and plan to convince them with smooth speeches. - Meanwhile, Penelope is harassed by her suitors Antinoo , Pisandro and Anfinomo , but she rejects all three.
Scene 6 (deleted in Vienna). Eight Moors dance a Greek ballet.
Scenes 7–8. Eumete enters the hall and announces Telemaco's return. - The frightened suitors decide to murder Telemaco and force Penelope to marry before Ulisse returns.
Wooded landscape
Scenes 9–10. Minerva promises Ulisse to stand by him against the suitors. She has devised a means for this. - Eumete reports of the fear of suitors, which amuses Ulisse. The king looks forward to the coming retribution for vicious acts. ( The third act ended here in Venice. )
In the palace
Scenes 11–12. Telemaco tells his mother about Helena , Paris and the Trojan War , in order to finally announce the return of Ulisse. - Disguised as a beggar, Ulisse enters the palace, where Iro mocks and challenges him, but is soon defeated in the fight. Antinous pays tribute to him while Penelope invites the brave beggar into her house.
Scene 13. The newly arrived Pisandro and Anfinomo try, like Antinoo, to win Penelope's heart with expensive gifts. But Penelope proposes a competition of suitors: It should belong to the one who wins. The condition is that he can span the bow of Ulisse. But nobody succeeds. Finally, she lets the strange old man try it, who is the only one who manages to draw the bow and thus immediately kill almost all suitors.
Third act
Scene 1 ("funny scene"). Iro, who survived the massacre but can no longer live at the palace's expense, commits suicide .
Scene 2 (deleted in Vienna “because it is too melancholy”).
In the palace
Scene 3. Melanto, whose lover Eurimaco died with the suitors, warns Penelope about the unknown winner in the competition. Penelope remains unmoved.
Scenes 4–5. The shepherd Eumete, as well as her son who will join her, who want to enlighten Penelope one after the other about the identity of the beggar, they do not believe and forbid such follies.
Near the sea
Scenes 6–7. Juno is convinced by Minerva to bring Ulisse back to his throne. - She puts in a good word with Jupiter, who in turn convinces Neptune. Two choirs in heaven and in the sea sing about the common grace of heaven and sea.
In the palace
Scenes 8–10. Nurse Ericlea recognizes her old master by a scar. - But even that is not enough for Penelope, accompanied by Telemaco and Eumete, as proof of Ulisse's identity. - Only when Ulisse tells her about a secret of their marriage bed, known only to both of them, is she convinced.
Lore
The opera is preserved in an anonymous copy of the score found in Vienna and a total of nine copies of the libretto. All of these sources differ from one another. The instrumentation has not survived. The score only contains the melody and vocal lines and the figured bass.
literature
- Claudio Monteverdi: The Homecoming of Odyseus . In: Staatstheater Darmstadt (Ed.): Odyssey . Darmstadt 2014, p. 4ff.
- Wilhelm Zentner (Ed.): Reclams Opernführer (= Reclams Universal Library , Volume No. 6892). 32nd, revised edition. Reclam, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-15-006892-4 .
Web links
- Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in patria : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Manuscript of the libretto (Italian), 1641, digitized from the Munich Digitization Center
- Work information and libretto (Italian) as full text on librettidopera.it
- Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (Claudio Monteverdi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna
- Plot and libretto of Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria in German at Opera-Guide. Target page is currently unavailable due to URL change
- Discography of Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria at Operadis
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ellen Rosand: Ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, Il. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ a b c Wolfgang Osthoff : Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 4: Works. Massine - Piccinni. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-492-02414-9 , pp. 248-253.