Monteverdi opera on DVD

Abstract

For many years, when it came to videos of L'Orfeo, Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria and L'incoronazione di Poppea, the benchmark version was the Harnoncourt-Ponnelle series, a production performed in various theatres and eventually recorded at the end of the 1970s by Decca. Its success was ensured by a number of factors: the lack of interest shown by the recording companies in producing anything else, the dearth of productions of Monteverdi operas in general, and above all the intrinsic value of what was not only a refined attempt at recreating a 17th-century operatic event, but also one that introduced themes later developed by others (like those of the ‘double’ and the mirror). As for the musical performances themselves, while the instrumental playing can still hold its own today after a good quarter century, the vocal cast was not immune from criticism even at the time of its issue. Gradually over the years the selection of Monteverdi videos and DVDs has greatly expanded, particularly in the case of L'incoronazione di Poppea, with versions from Julius Rudel (Lyric Distribution, 1978); Alan Curtis (Lyric Distribution, 1980), Raymond Leppard (Castle Opera, 1984), Michel Corboz (Lyric Distribution, 1986), René Jacobs (Lyric Distribution, 1993) and Marc Minkowski (Bel Air Classiques, 2005). Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria is less frequented, but there are versions from Leppard (Pickwick Screen Legend, 1973), Jeffrey Tate (Home Vision, 1985), Harnoncourt (Arthaus Musik, 2002) and William Christie (Virgin Classics, 2002). As for Orfeo, at one time only available in the Harnoncourt version, new issues are appearing as the 2007 anniversary approaches: Christoph Spering (Opernhaus Düsseldorf, 2001), Jordi Savall (Opus Arte, 2002) and Jean-Claude Malgoire (Dynamic, 2005). It is a pity, however, that this number fails to include successful productions like the Orfeo conducted by Claudio Gallico and given an exemplary staging in Mantua in 1990.