Monteverdi's Ulisse premieres in Rome and Rieti

Claudio Monteverdi's opera Il Ritorno di Ulisse in patria received its first performances in Rome and Rieti in October 2018, as part of the Reate Festival. The production, directed by Cesare Scarton, ran from October 5 to 10 at Teatro di Villa Torlonia and Teatro Flavio Vespasiano, in collaboration with Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Teatro di Roma, and Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. The intimate Teatro di Villa Torlonia proved ideal for Baroque opera. The staging featured archaeological-inspired sets by Michele Della Cioppa, contemporary costumes by Anna Biagiotti (with Proci evoking Studio 54 and camorristic clans, and gods in early 20th-century attire), and direction that included references to current issues of hospitality. Notable performers included Mauro Borgioni as Ulisse, Lucia Napoli as Penelope, Sabrina Cortese as Minerva, Michela Guarrera as Melanto, Alessio Tosi as Iro, and Luca Cervoni, Giacomo Nanni, Enrico Torre as Proci. Alessandro Quarta conducted the Reate Festival Baroque Ensemble from the harpsichord. The opera, first performed in Venice in 1640, is the least known of Monteverdi's surviving trilogy.