Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner - Claudio Monteverdi: Il ritorno d�Ulisse in patria

Claudio Monteverdi was a pioneer in the origins and development of opera, taking vocal music beyond Renaissance polyphony and entering a modern era in which genuine feelings and emotions are expressed through a wide variety of characters. Part of a late flowering in Monteverdi�s illustrious career, Il ritorno d�Ulisse in patria is considered the most tender and moving of his three surviving operas. It takes its narrative from the second half of Homer�s Odyssey, presenting Ulysses as a flawed hero; a lone wanderer who has to overcome cruel tests, terrible hardships, treachery and deception before he can be reunited with his faithful queen Penelope and recover his kingdom. Recorded in Venice�s historical Teatro La Fenice, this semi-staged production is part of John Eliot Gardiner�s acclaimed celebration of Monteverdi�s 450th anniversary, a true milestone in Western cultural history.