From April 28 to May 6, 2023, a new production of the opera “Orpheus and Eurydice” will be staged at La Fenice Theater.
“Orpheus and Eurydice” was composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck to a libretto by Ranieri de’ Calzabigi based on Greek mythology. It belongs to the genre of the action play, meaning a smaller-scale opera. The work premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on October 5, 1762, and is considered the first of those “reformed” operas in which Gluck set out to replace the intricate plots and overly virtuosic singing of opera seria with “noble simplicity” in both music and drama. However, the conventional happy ending, the use of archaic instruments and the leading role assigned to the alto castrato Gaetano Guadagni, point back to the older genre of Baroque court entertainment. In 1774 Gluck reworked the score as “Orphée et Eurydice“, with various alterations in the vocal casting and orchestration to suit the French taste.
The artistic cast includes: Cecilia Molinari (Orpheus), Mary Bevan (Eurydice), Silvia Frigato
(Amore-Love). In addition, Ottavio Dantone (conductor), Alfonso Caiani (choir master), Pier Luigi Pizzi (direction, sets and costumes), Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro La Fenice.
Website: www.teatrolafenice.it
Location: La Fenice Opera House, Venice
Schedule: April 28 – May 6, 2023
