Orphée et Eurydice - Christoph Willibald Gluck

Thrilling musical drama in the French style The iconic aria J'ai perdu mon Eurydice from Glucks Orphée et Eurydice is etched in our collective memory. After the singer Orpheus has brought back his beloved Eurydice from the underworld through the power of his music, he loses her for a second time. In his tremendously powerful musical drama, the composer proves himself a master of restrained emotion. Gluck bids farewell to the bravura arias and intricate plot twists of Baroque opera. Singing, text and orchestration are entirely at the service of a deeply felt tragedy that is notably direct in its presentation with only three protagonists (Orphée, Eurydice, Amour) and with a dramatically active role for the chorus. Gluck originally wrote the opera in Italian in 1762 and realized a French version for the Paris Opéra in 1774. OBV presents the reworking by Hector Berlioz from 1859 and that is anything but a light touch on the original, but full-fledged French opera with additional music. Maestro Francesco Corti, who signed on for a fiery Don Giovanni last season, once again guarantees thrilling musical drama on a razor's edge.