14 Oct 2018

GLUCK: Orphée et Eurydice

From Opera on Sunday

Gluck’s exquisite drama introduces us to Orpheus, the poet and musician whose every word and note communicate the most overwhelming love for his Eurydice. Refusing to accept her death, he courageously journeys to the Underworld to bring her back to life.

A scene from Orphee et Eurydice at Chicago Lyric Opera

A scene from Orphee et Eurydice at Chicago Lyric Opera Photo: ©Todd Rosenberg Photography

Sunday 14 October at 6.00pm on RNZ Concert

Cast:

 Dmitry Korchak (Orpheus), Andriana Chuchman (Eurydice), Lauren Snouffer (Amour), Chorus & Orchestra of Lyric Opera of Chicago/Harry Bicket

Andriana Chuchman

Andriana Chuchman Photo: Andriana Chuchman

Synopsis:

ACT ONE
Orphée, a choreographer, rehearses his new ballet, The Isle of the Dead – inspired by the painting of Arnold Böcklin. Orphée’s wife Eurydice, the company’s temperamental star performer, is to dance the principal role. She arrives late – they quarrel. Furious, Eurydice leaves the rehearsal.
An accident – Eurydice is dead. Friends and passersby mourn the sudden loss. In shock and tortured by grief and regret, Orphée sadly recalls his wedding. In despair, he suffers a breakdown. His assistant, Amour, comforts him, suggesting the mythical journey of Orpheus into the Underworld.

ACT TWO
In his madness, Orphée imagines himself in Hades, where the Furies angrily block his to attempt to pass through the Underworld. He begs them to pity him, explaining that if they had suffered as he has done, they would not be so indifferent. Calmed by Orphée, the Furies allow him to enter Elysium.
Orphée is astonished by the serenity and beauty of Elysium, but he feels that only after being reunited with Eurydice can he savor its joys. His impatience is finally placated when his wife is brought to him. As in the myth, the condition of her being restored to life is that he not look at her until they are back on Earth.

ACT THREE
Without looking at his wife, Orphée urges her to follow him quickly. Astonished to realize that she is still alive, Eurydice wonders how this can be, but Orphée refuses to answer any of her pleading questions. Stunned by his silence, her temperament flares up at what she perceives as his indifference. Unable to stand her pleading and accusations any longer, Orphée turns to her. Eurydice dies again. Orphée laments her death bitterly. Amour convinces him that his suffering has conquered all, and that Eurydice will live on in Orphée’s heart, and in the imaginary ballet he created.
(Synopsis by John Neumeier)

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