Christoph Willibard Gluck (1714-1787) was a German classical composer. In February 1761 Ranieri Calzabigi brought his libretto Orfeo and Euridice into Vienna. The piece caught Gluck`s friends’ attention and they brought the two together. Orfeo and Euridice was the first of Gluck`s three reform operas. The major influence in the development of Gluck`s reformist ideology was the Essay on the Opera (1755) which written by Francesco Algarotti. Orfeo and Euridice was first performed in Vienna on 5^th October 1762.

The opera is an interpretation of the myth of Orpheus, who is the godfather of opera itself. He was the son of a Muse and Oeagrus, a king of Thrace (other versions give Apollo). He was more than a mortal but less than a god. He received the gift of music from his Muse mother. The opera is set in an idealized Greek countryside and in the mythological underworld.

The opera has three acts.

In act one nymphs and shepherds lament the death of Euridice at her grave who was bitten by a snake. When Euridice `s husband Orfeo left alone, he took an oath to rescue Euridice from the underworld. The god of love Amore appears and allow him to descend into the land of dead to rescue Euridice. To make this journey difficult, Orfeo cannot look at Euridice nor explain why looking is forbidden. If Orfeo breaks these rules, he will lose her forever. The first act finishes with Orfeo agreeing to the rules and his journey begins.

Act two begins with Hades gates where furies and ghosts try to deny Orfeo`s passage to the underworld. When finally, they softened by Orfeo`s lament, he allowed to pass through to the Elysian Fields. Orfeo is moved by the beauty of the landscape. Heroes and heroines brought Euridice to him and he took her away without looking at her as he promised earlier.

In act three Orfeo leads Euridice toward the upper world. He is keeping his promise and forbidden to look at her. Euridice panics as she was afraid of a life without the love of Orfeo. In desperation he turns to her and she dies again. Orfeo hit by a grief and he wonders how he will live without his love Euridice. He decides he kill himself. Amore appears and stays Orfeo`s hand, then in response to Orfeo`s deep love and devotion, Amore revives Euridice for the second time. The tree returns to Earth. The opera finishes with a celebration at the Temple of Love, where Orfeo, Euridice, Amore, the nymphs and the shepherds are all celebrating the power of love.

The main characters of the opera are Orfeo, Euridice, Amore, shepherds, shepherdesses, nymphs, demons, Furies, happy spirits, heroes and heroines, Chorus, and dancers.

I choose to review the 1982 production of Orfeo and Euridice. The opera performed on the Glyndebourne Opera Festival. It is available on YouTube (Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice).

This production directed by Peter Hall and it was outstanding. Elisabeth Speiser played Euridice and her performance was excellent. Amor played by Elizabeth Gale. Although I liked her voice, I thought her performance sometimes lacking. During her aria with Orfeo, she looked like more as a doll than a god. My favourite was Janet Baker as Orfeo. She shows a unique variety of vocal colours and ability of acting simply but with force. I particularly enjoyed her aria Che faro senza euridice. Her singing style is very natural and her acting is impeccable.

The production is a traditional one. I thought the costumes are excellent and perfectly reflect the period and characters. The scenery is simple with only present what is needed. With the use of the lighting, it also represents flawlessly the different scenes. The London Philharmonic provide excellent music which is clean and not overpowering. The video quality is a little but blurred.

Reference

www-oxfordreference-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org. 2008. OpenAthens / Sign in. [online] Available at: <https://www-oxfordreference-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/acref/9780195309072.001.0001/acref-9780195309072-e-190&gt; [Accessed 13 February 2021]

Montalvao, R., 2012. Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice (Leppard). [image] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EENw_ptgGcg&gt; [Accessed 15 February 2021]

2021. Orfeo ed Euridice. [image] Available at: <https://www.opera-online.com/en/items/works/orfeo-ed-euridice-de-calzabigi-gluck-1762&gt; [Accessed 15 February 2021]

2012. Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EENw_ptgGcg&gt; [Accessed 15 February 2021]