# Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria discography

These lists show the audio and visual recordings of Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria ("The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland") by Claudio Monteverdi. The opera was premièred in Venice in 1640, initially in five acts, and was then performed in Bologna before returning to Venice for the 1641–42 season. The music was subsequently lost; modern opera productions have been based on editions derived from the sole manuscript score, a three-act version discovered in Vienna in the 19th century. Performances were rare until the 1970s when the work entered the operatic mainstream after stagings in Vienna and at Glyndebourne, both of which were recorded. Since that date recordings have been issued regularly, in five-act, three-act, and two-act versions.

## Recording history

The first recording of the opera was issued in 1964, a version incorporating substantial cuts. The first complete recording was that of Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Concentus Musicus Wien in 1971, the first of three Harnoncourt versions in audio and video. Raymond Leppard's 1972 Glyndebourne version was recorded in a concert performance in the Royal Albert Hall; the following year the same Glyndebourne cast was recorded in a full stage performance. These recordings were issued many years later, in compact disc and DVD format. Leppard's third Glyndebourne version was issued in 1980, the heavy orchestration with strings and brass drawing some adverse critical comments.
In 1978 Roger Norrington, with Kent Opera, recorded the only English language version of the opera. A two-act version prepared by the German composer Hans Werner Henze was performed under Jeffrey Tate at the 1985 Salzburg Festival and issued on videotape. After several years, the 1990s and 2000s saw a proliferation of recordings in audio and video formats, including performances under Alan Curtis, René Jacobs, Sergio Vartolo, and William Christie. More than thirty years after his first recording, Harnoncourt produced his 2002 version in DVD format, a live recording from Zürich Opera.

## Audio

| Year | Cast: Ulisse, Penelope, Telemaco, Minerva, Eumete, Iro | Conductor opera house/orchestra | Label and year of issue | Notes |
| 1964 | Gerald English Maureen Lehane William Whitesides Antonia Fahberg Helmut Kretschmar Bernhard Michaelis | Rudolf Ewerhart Santini Kammerorchester (Münster) | LP: Vox DLBX211 (1965) | First recording of the opera but with significant cuts, including the Prologue; Iro's monologue; the scenes with Melanto and Eurymaco. |
| 1971 | Sven Olof Eliasson Norma Lerer Kai Hansen Rotraud Hansmann Max van Egmond Murray Dickie | Nikolaus Harnoncourt Concentus Musicus Wien/Junge Kantorei | LP: Telefunken SKB23T (1971) CD: Teldec 2564 69614-2 (2008) | |
| 1972 | Benjamin Luxon Janet Baker Ian Caley Anne Howells Richard Lewis Alexander Oliver | Raymond Leppard London Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne Chorus | CD: Oriel Music Society OMS099/3 (2001) | Live recording of concert performance, Royal Albert Hall, 3 August 1972 |
| 1978 | Werner Hollweg Trudeliese Schmidt Francisco Araiza Helrun Gardow Philippe Huttenlocher Arley Reece | Nikolaus Harnoncourt Monteverdi Ensemble der Zürich Opera | CD: Teldec 8 35807 (1989) | Recording of a TV film |
| 1978 | Neil Jenkins Sarah Walker Neil Mackie Anne Pashley Wynford Evans Jack Irons | Roger Norrington Kent Opera | CD: Oriel Music Society OMS018/3 | Sung in English. Recording of live performance at Guildhall School of Music 26 July 1978 |
| 1979 | Richard Stilwell Frederica von Stade Patrick Power Ann Murray Richard Lewis Alexander Oliver | Raymond Leppard London Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne Chorus | LP: CBS Masterworks 79332 (1980) | For full details, see Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (Raymond Leppard recording) |
| 1985 | Thomas Allen Kathleen Kuhlmann Alejandro Ramirez Delores Ziegler Robert Tear Curtis Rayam | Jeffrey Tate ORF Symphonie-Orchester (Wien); Tölzer Knabenchor: Ensemble Spinano | CD: Orfeo C 528 003 (2000) | Recorded at the Salzburg Festival, 18 August 1985 (Hans Werner Henze version) |
| 1991 | Leroy Villeneuva Gloria Banditelli Mark Tucker Guillemette Laurens Giovanni Battista Palmieri Gian Paolo Fagotto | Alan Curtis Orchestra - Sonotori de la Gioiosa Marca | CD: Nuova Era 7103-5 (2004) | Live recording of a performance in the Teatro dei Rinnovati, Siena |
| 1992 | Christoph Prégardien Bernarda Fink Christina Högman Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Martyn Hill Guy de Mey | René Jacobs Concerto Vocale | CD: Harmonia Mundi (France) HMC 901 427-29 (1992) | Five-act version |
| 1998 | Furio Zanasi Gloria Banditelli Jean-Paul Fouchécourt María Cristina Kiehr Roberto Abbondanza Gian Paolo Fagotto | Gabriel Garrido Ensemble Eufonia/Coro Antonio Il Verso | CD: K617 K617091/3 (1998) | |
| 2005 | Loris Bertolo Gabriella Martellacci Makoto Sakurada Angela Bucci Giovanni Gregnanin Davide Cicchetti | Sergio Vartolo Instrumental ensemble | CD: Brilliant Classics BRIL 93104 (2006) | Five-act version |
| 2009 | Kobie van Rensburg Christine Rice Cyril Auvity Claire Debono Laura Coronado Robert Burt | William Christie Les Arts Florissants | CD: Premiere Opera Ltd. CDNO 3525-3 (2009) | Live recording of a performance in the Teatro Real, Madrid, 25 April 2009 |
| 2012 | Anicio Zorzi Giustanini Josè Maria Lo Monaco Makoto Sakurada Roberta Mameli Paolo Antognetti Luca Dordolo | Claudio Cavina La Venexiana | CD: Glossa Music (2012) | |
| 2015 | Fernando Guimaraes Jennifer Rivera Aaron Sheehan Leah Wool Daniel Auchincloss Marc Molomont | Martin Pearlman Boston Baroque | CD: Linn | New performing edition by Pearlman |
| 2018 | Furio Zanasi Lucile Richardot Krystian Adam Hana Blažíková Francisco Fernández-Rueda Robert Burt | John Eliot Gardiner English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir | CD: Soli Deo Gloria (2018) | Three-act version |
| 2023 | Leonardo De Lisi Seoyeon Choi, Francesco Nocco, Mira Dozio, Francesco Marchetti Saverio Bambi | Federico Bardazzi Ensemble San Felice | 2023 / Bongiovanni | |

## Video

| Year | Cast: Ulisse, Penelope, Telemaco, Minerva, Eumete, Iro | Conductor opera house/orchestra | Label and year of issue | Notes |
| 1973 | Benjamin Luxon Janet Baker Ian Caley Anne Howells Richard Lewis Alexander Oliver | Raymond Leppard London Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourbe Chorus | DVD: ArtHaus Musik 101 101 (2006) | Live recording of a stage performance at the Glyndebourne Theatre, 24 August 1973 |
| 1978 | Werner Hollweg Trudeliese Schmidt Francisco Araiza Helrun Gardow Philippe Huttenlocher Arley Reece | Nikolaus Harnoncourt Monteverdi Ensemble der Zürich Opera | DVD: DG 073 4268 (2007) | Recording of a TV film |
| 1985 | Thomas Allen Kathleen Kuhlmann Alejandro Ramirez Delores Ziegler Robert Tear Curtis Rayam | Jeffrey Tate ORF Symphonie-Orchester (Wien); Tölzer Knabenchor: Ensemble Spinano | VHS (1985) | Recorded at the Salzburg Festival, 18 August 1985 (Hans Werner Henze version) |
| 1998 | Antony Rolfe-Johnson Graciela Araya Toby Spence Diana Montague Diana Montague Alexander Oliver | Glen Wilson Orchestra, Het Muziektheatre Amsterdam | DVD: Opus Arte OA 0926D (2005) | Live recording of a performance in Het Muziektheatre, Amsterdam |
| 2002 | Kresimir Spicer Marijana Mijanović Cyril Auvity Olga Pitarch Joseph Cornwell Robert Burt | William Christie Les Arts Florissants | DVD: Virgin Classics 7243 4 90612 9 3 (2004) | Live recording of a production originally given in 2000 at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. Winner of Royal Philharmonic Society Opera award, 2003. |
| 2002 | Dietrich Henschel Veselina Kasarova Jonas Kaufmann Isabel Rey Thomas Mohr Rudolf Schasching | Nikolaus Harnoncourt Orchester La Scintilla | DVD: ArtHaus Musik 100 352 (2003) | Live recording of a performance in the Opernhaus, Zürich, February 2002 |
| 2023 | Leonardo De Lisi Seoyeon Choi, Francesco Nocco, Mira Dozio, Francesco Marchetti Saverio Bambi | Federico Bardazzi Ensemble San Felice | 2023 / Bongiovanni | |