(Baroque) music connects: In 1724 as in 2025, the opera performance was also an opportunity to make contacts and exchange ideas. PENELOPE 2025 was an inspiring and valuable collaboration between the GMPU and the Conservatorio di musica in the realm of early music.

In the rehearsals on site, the production was adapted to the local stage conditions and the cadences were fixed for the different cast of singers. Under the powerful conducting of Klaus Kuchling, the musicians once again swept the audience away to Ithaca ( with temperatures almost true to the original), where the jealous Odysseus with his somewhat timid servant Tersite, the character-strong Penelope with her cunningly funny servant Dorilla, the future ruler couple Argene and Telemaco, deeply in love, and the suitors Medonte and Eurimaco, who harass Penelope, meet and cause all sorts of confusion, emotional outbursts, comic moments and magical happenings.

There was a happy ending not only for (most of) the characters, but also for all those involved on and off stage: a rousing performance in the historic atmosphere of the concert hall in the Conservatorio brought the PENELOPE 2025 project to a successful conclusion and is already providing initial inspiration for future joint projects to explore unknown musical worlds with our students.

We would like to thank all our colleagues from Klagenfurt and Venice for their active and dedicated help in making our Venice tour a success!

Photos: © Zhang Zhibo (Venezia)