Overview: Claudio Monteverdi's operatic adaptation of this story from Homer's The Odyssey receives a modern and distinctive staging in this 2002 production directed by Humphrey Burton for Les Arts Florissants. Penelope Marijana Mijanovic is left to her own devices when her husband, the heroic Ulysses Kresimir Spicer, goes off to fight in the Trojan Wars. After many years alone, Penelope finds herself attracting a number of suitors who wish to claim her hand; however, what she doesn't realize is that jealous Ulysses has his ways of keeping an eye on her. Production of the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence; from the Theatre du Jeu de Paume.

Genres: Music

Overview: Alan Curtis and his renowned Il Complesso Barocco ensemble present Vivaldi's groundbreaking opera about the mythical hero Hercules and his quest to retrieve the sword of Antiope, queen of the Amazons. Mary-Ellen Nesi stars as the ferocious warrior queen, and Zachary Stains is the beleaguered Hercules, trying to appease the gods for killing his own children in a fit of rage. Laura Cherici, Luca Dordolo and Randall Scotting co-star.

Genres: Music History