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The Return of Ulysses (Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria)
Music by Claudio Monteverdi
Libretto by Giacomo Badoaro
Based on Books 13-24 of
Directed by Diane Paulus
Chicago Opera Theater
At the Harris Theater for Music and Dance
205 E Randolph St.
Chicago, IL
Tickets available at COT website: $35-120
http://www.chicagooperatheater.org
March 30, April 1, 5, 7
All performances at 7:30pm, except Sundays at 3pm
Running time approximately 3 hours with intermission
Reviewed by Evan Kuchar
Chicago Opera Theater (COT) has once again assembled the forces necessary to put on an opera by Claudio Monteverdi—no small feat considering the mass of talented singers (including eight tenors) and the small pit orchestra (comprised of period instruments including two theorboes). The current performance, The Return of Ulysses (Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria), is the third of Monteverdi's three extant operas done by COT since 2000.
COT's production is visually, aurally, and dramatically stunning; it brings together a story from Antiquity, music from the Baroque, and contemporary direction to create a sense of timeless drama. This drama, however, would go unnoticed if it were not for the intensity of the performers. In more familiar operas, the drama is often embedded in the music, and the singers must focus on singing first and acting second. Ulysses requires the singers to balance these tasks, for Monteverdi is more subtle in his musical drama than some of the later Italian composers. The performers, under the direction of Diane Paulus, show that they understand this responsibility. The result feels more like a play that is sung rather than music that is acted out. 
Certain performers in particular stood out. Mark LeBrocq as Ulysses and Marie Lenormand as Penelope not only sang beautifully but showed the appropriate mix of intimacy and bewilderment in the culminating reunion scene. Darren K. Stokes as Neptune certainly merited attention every time he rose up from out of the depths. His perpetual undulations and flowing costume nearly held the eye captive with its beauty, while his mellifluous baritone voice helped convey his divinity, which Monteverdi tested with unfathomably low notes. Also worthy of note are Jason Collins' Jove, Nicholas Phan's Telemaco, and Melina Pineda's Melanto.
The most disappointing aspect of the work was the set. The best that the celebrated architect Rafael Vińoly could come up with looked like something you would find mass-produced by some Swedish furniture megastore. The only thing that saved the set was the intense colors of the lighting.
If you are not already intimately familiar with Monteverdi, you should know that his dramatic works date back to the fledgling years of we now call opera, a time during which composers had one ear in the Renaissance and one in what we now call the Baroque. Monteverdi, himself, helped usher in the seconda prattica (second practice), a new style of composition in which a composer can break certain rules in order to better express the drama. This development would seem, then, to naturally lead to opera. At the time, though, Monteverdi referred to his dramatic works as dramma per musica (musical drama), not opera. The result is a lot of recitative with short ritornellos and a few songs.
Before going into the performance, it is important to reflect on the subtle difference the label makes. If you are hoping to hear recognizable tunes in show-stopping arias, you may prefer Verdi or Puccini. Alternatively, if you expect drama aided and abetted by music, then Ulysses may be for you. Finally, of course, you may already be a Monteverdi fan, in which case you will surely like Chicago Opera Theater's staging of this important piece of opera history.
Recommended
Evan Kuchar
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2007
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