Ulysses Awakes (after Monteverdi) is a musical composition for solo
viola and strings by English composer
John Woolrich.
It is a creative transcription of
Odysseus's first aria in act 1, scene 7 of Claudio Monteverdi's opera
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria. Ulysses has been washed up on the coast of Ithaca, his homeland.
- Am I sleeping or awake?
- And what country surrounds me?
'It's a powerfully effective piece, which manages to be utterly faithful to the spirit of Monteverdi and yet entirely part of Woolrich's musical world, too.'[ The Guardian: Scottish Ensemble Review, 1 July 2011.]
Ulysses Awakes was commissioned by Dartington International Summer School and first performed there by Clare Finnimore and the Guildhall String Ensemble on August 11, 1989.
Instrumentation
The composition consists of a solo viola with 6 violins, 1 viola, 2 cellos, and 1 double bass.
Discography
-
Jane Atkins (viola); John Lubbock (conductor); Orchestra of St John's, Smith Square; ASV (1998); Black Box Classics 1091 (2004)
-
Simon Rowland-Jones (viola); 12 Ensemble; Sancho Panza Records SPANCD001(2018)
Bibliography
-
Robert Philip Performing Music in the Age of Recording (Yale University Press 2004)
-
John Wenham and Richard Wistreich (editors) The Cambridge Companion to Monteverdi (Cambridge University Press 2008)
