Premiere US Premiere
Production Language Italian
Country of Origin France
Description The hit of France's Festival International d'Art Lyrique in Aix-en-Provence two summers ago, this production of Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria (1641) -- directed by Royal Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Adrian Noble -- has been heralded as one of the greatest ever staged. The world-renowned Les Arts Florissants, conducted by William Christie, makes its first appearance in the intimate Harvey Theater, as Homer's story of Ulysses' return to Ithaca and his beloved Penelope unfolds with beauty, dignity, comic touches, and poignant recitar cantando. The superb young cast is lead by tenor Kresimir Spicer (Ulisse) and mezzo Marijana Mijanovic (Penelope) in their US debuts. Spicer and Mijanovic's celebrated off-stage relationship, "a real-life Romeo and Juliet: she is a Serb, he is a Croat, and they live together in Amsterdam" (NY Times), is equaled in power and beauty by their enormous vocal gifts.
Identifier 2002s.01053
