Monteverdi: Il Ritorno d’Ulisse In Patria

| Pearlman | Linn MC SACD CKD451 (3 discs)

Monteverdi composed only three operas, so his reputation as an opera composer is odd, but one only needs to watch Danielle de Niese in the Glyndebourne production of L’Incoronazione di Poppea to understand why. The opera under review reaches the same heights, yet it’s the least-performed and leastknown of the three. This is a shame, because the music is as ravishing and moving as in anything he ever wrote. It will take some real effort for this version by Martin Pearlman to be topped in future, and though I still like the magnificent perversions of the version by Leppard and the showstopping craziness of Jacobs, the terrific conducting, wonderful playing, and especially the smooth and radiant singing of Jennifer Rivera are what send this performance to the top of the mountain, along with great surround sound and a very warm recording.