Orfeo ed Euridice

Gluck’s “Orpheus and Eurydice” shocked the opera world in the 18th century. Suddenly, music returned to serving the action, not the other way around. Gluck put an end to overloaded coloratura and endless da capo arias that broke the dramatic flow. Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France and a fervent admirer of his music, wrote, “It is as if a religious revolution had taken place.” In the center stands Orpheus, mourning Eurydice, who died from a snake bite. Amor allows him to bring her back from the Underworld on the condition that he does not look at her on the way into the world of the living. With song, Orpheus appeases the Furies. But Eurydice’s complaints make him fragile. He turns to appease her, and she dies for a second time. Amor finally frees the couple. Cecilia Bartoli, absolute prima donna of the 21st century, and her ensemble chose to perform the so-called “Parma version.” In it, the part of Orpheus was sung by the celebrated castrato soprano Giuseppe Millico, in an extremely high register, almost unattainable for today’s male voices.