An Unrivalled Celebration of Monteverdi

John Eliot Gardiner's acclaimed recordings of Monteverdi’s genre-defining operas are presented by a world-class team of casts and creatives.

2017 marked the 450th anniversary of the birth of Claudio Monteverdi – one of the founders of opera and hailed in his day as ‘the creator of modern music’. Monteverdi transformed vocal music beyond Renaissance polyphony into an entirely new genre that expressed powerful feelings and emotions within a gripping narrative. This set brings together Monteverdi’s three surviving operas: the wonderful L’Orfeo and, from later in his life, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria and L’incoronazione di Poppea with their visceral passions and dramatic dilemmas, all elements that have animated the history of opera for centuries. John Eliot Gardiner’s acclaimed Monteverdi 450 series of semi-staged performances produced in Venice’s historical Teatro La Fenice is living confirmation that Monteverdi ‘will be sighed for in later ages, for his compositions will surely outlive the ravages of time.’

“Gardiner has assembled a touring ensemble of remarkable quality…” (Poppea - The Times ★★★★★)

“…Impressive singers and musicians shine in a beautifully realised semi-staging that sounded totally assured...” (Ulisse - The Guardian ★★★★★)

“In short, this was a treat” (L’Orfeo - Seen and Heard International)

Genre Opera
Recording location Teatro La Fenice, Italy
Co-Production Company A production of Ozango, Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra, France Télévisions and Unitel
Distribution DVD Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Duration 506 minutes
Audio format LPCM 2.0 + DTS Digital Surround 5.1 (DVD – L’Orfeo); Dolby Digital Stereo + Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 (DVD – Ulisse, Poppea) / LPCM 2.0 + DTS-HD Master Audio Surround (Bluray – all titles)
Conductor John Eliot Gardiner
Director John Eliot Gardiner and Elsa Rooke
Light Design Rick Fisher
TV Director Sebastien Glas