Concerts of excellence
Orfeo ed Euridice
Cecilia Bartoli
Mélissa Petit
Les Musiciens du Prince (Monaco)
Gianluca Capuano
Il Canto di Orfeo

Date
Saturday, 26.09
Hours 19:30
Location
Chiesa San Francesco, Locarno
Piazza San Francesco 19, 6600 Locarno
Price categories
CHF 275 / 240 / 195 / 170 / 95
Special Concerts
Concert information
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.
Program
Cecilia Bartoli, Mezzo-Soprano (Orpheus)
Mélissa Petit, Soprano (Eurydice & Amor)
Il Canto di Orfeo
(Choral preparation: Jacopo Facchini)
Les Musiciens du Prince (Monaco)
Gianluca Capuano, conductor
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787)
“Orpheus and Eurydice,” opera in 5 acts (1769 Parma version) – semi-staged performance
Duration: 120′ (break included)
The Artists

Cecilia Bartoli
Mezzo-Soprano (Orfeo)
Cecilia Bartoli is one of the most significant mezzo-sopranos of our time. She is the Artistic Director of the Salzburger Pfingstfespiele and, since 2023, the Director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo – the first woman to hold this position in the theater’s history. Her repertoire combines a spirit of exploration with virtuosity. Her awards include five Grammys and the Polar Music Prize.

Mélissa Petit
Soprano (Euridice & Amor)
Mélissa Petit is a soprano specialized in a Baroque and lyric repertoire. She has appeared as a guest artist at the Opernhaus Zürich (Medea, Werther), the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Hippolyte et Aricie), in Beijing (Romeo and Juliet), and in Bregenz (Carmen). She is furthermore described as having a “silvery and crystal-clear voice”. She possesses a remarkable stage presence.

Les Musiciens du Prince (Monaco)

Gianluca Capuano
Conductor

Il Canto di Orfeo
Choir
Venue information: Chiesa San Francesco, Locarno
Chiesa San Francesco in Locarno, dating back to the 13th century, is more than a historical monument: it is a living sounding board where history, art, and music converge. It is one of classicAscona’s most fascinating venues and offers a worthy setting for orchestral and choral concerts. The special features of this monument of sacred art are the 18th-century frescoes by the Locarnese Orelli family of painters and the wooden choir, carved in 1522.
After significant restoration, the church now glows as a cultural center, welcoming all with its renewed brilliance. Its last complete interior restoration, finished in 2012, ensures every visitor can experience its historical beauty.

Orfeo ed Euridice
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