Time 19:00
The Royal Theatre, the Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw
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Torna, deh torna Ulisse (“Return, ah, return, Ulysses”) – sings Penelope, tormented by waiting for the return of her beloved husband, but also by the persistence of the suitors eager to take his place. One of the most poignant passages in Claudio Monteverdi’s body of work takes on even greater significance when it becomes clear that, for the most faithful of wives, recognizing her miraculously returned husband will not be easy at all. Her greatest wish has been fulfilled, yet her heart does not leap and her reason remains doubtful. Time – as well as enchantment – have altered the beloved facial features and, presumably, his personality as well. Who is Ulysses? Who has he become? These questions also confront the hero himself – shaped by war and by his lengthy journey – as he must redefine his role in his homeland and in his own home. Minerva, his divine protectress, comes to his aid and guides the protagonists toward a happy ending.
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses to His Homeland), Claudio Monteverdi’s penultimate dramatic work, premiered in 1640. The libretto by Giacomo Badoaro reflects the expectations of the contemporary Venetian audience, eager for spectacular entertainment. The changing scenes and sets, however, are merely a point of departure for showcasing the full extent of Monteverdi’s musical genius. Every phrase is imbued with meaning, while successive motifs reflect the full range of emotions experienced by the characters. In this new staging of Homer’s story, told by director Robert Bondara, movement plays a particularly important role – a universal language linking human nature with the elemental force of the supernatural world. Maestro Krzysztof Garstka is responsible for the musical direction of the production.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska
MUSIC DIRECTOR KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA
STAGE DIRECTOR ROBERT BONDARA
SET DESIGN AND COSTUMES DIANA MARSZAŁEK (PSiST GUILD)
LIGHTING DESIGN MACIEJ IGIELSKI
VIDEO PROJECTIONS JAGODA CHALCIŃSKA
ASSISTANT DIRECTORS SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK, AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA
STAGE MANAGERS AGNIESZKA ORLIKOWSKA, TATIANA HEMPEL-GIERLACH
CAST
L’HUMANA FRAGILITA KACPER SZELĄŻEK
TEMPO MICHAŁ DEMBIŃSKI / PAWEŁ MICHALCZUK
FORTUNA MARTA BOBERSKA
AMORE MAŁGORZATA TROJANOWSKA
GIOVE SYLWESTER SMULCZYŃSKI
NETTUNO MICHAŁ DEMBIŃSKI / PAWEŁ MICHALCZUK
MINERVA OLGA PASIECZNIK / MARTA BRZEZIŃSKA-SZMAJ
ULISSE KAROL KOZŁOWSKI / ALEKSANDER REWIŃSKI
PENELOPE ANETA ŁUKASZEWICZ
TELEMACO KACPER SZELĄŻEK
EURIMACO BARTOSZ GORZKOWSKI
MELANTO MAŁGORZATA TROJANOWSKA
EUMETE MICHAŁ SŁAWECKI
IRO JAN MACHOWSKI
ANTINOO GRZEGORZ ŻOŁYNIAK
PISANDRO KRZYSZTOF STARUCH-LOREK
CORO DI FAECI: ANDRZEJ KLEPACKI, JAN MACHOWSKI, GRZEGORZ ŻOŁYNIAK
CORO IN CIELO: DOROTA LACHOWICZ, IWONA LUBOWICZ, JULITA MIROSŁAWSKA, SYLWESTER SMULCZYŃSKI
CORO MARITIMO: JOANNA KLEBBA, ANDRZEJ KLEPACKI, JAN MACHOWSKI, GRZEGORZ ŻOŁYNIAK
ULISSE II KAROL URBAŃSKI
THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA
CONDUCTOR KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA
The seats in the auditorium are not numbered.
Performance in the original language version with Polish surtitles.
PLEASE NOTE: The entrance to the Royal Theatre in the Royal Łazienki Park is located on Agrykola street.
