Organization

Vicenza Opera Festival

Singer

Soprano

Emőke Baráth

Euridice

Music

Tenor

Valerio Contaldo

Orfeo

Michał Czerniawski

First shepherd

Hope

Cyril Auvity

Second shepherd

First spirit

Baritone

Francisco Fernández-Rueda

Third shepherd

Second spirit

Peter Harvey

Nuria Rial

The nymph

Proserpina

Luciana Mancini

The messenger

Bass

Antonio Abete

Caronte

Third spirit

Baccante

Pluto

L'Orfeo -  (Orfeo)

Vicenza

Italy

Teatro Olimpico

“This work is not only one of the most beautiful operas of all, but also has a strong connection to the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza. The theater was built in 1585, a few years before L'Orfeo was first performed in Mantua. The opera fits perfectly into this beautiful theatre.

There is another important point: I am fascinated by the finale. In the original version (in the libretto and in the Graeco-Roman sources), Orpheus rises from the underworld and is murdered by mad, ecstatic women who are very angry with him. Why? Because Orpheus rejects women - he never wants to fall in love again, having lost his 'perfect' Eurydice twice. The accused mad women (followers of Dionysus performing a wild bacchanalia) tear him to pieces.

Normally this opera is performed with an altered ending composed by Monteverdi a few years after the premiere. In this second version there is no Bacchanal, but Apollo appears from heaven and elevates Orpheus to the gods. The opera ends with a happy ending, with a conventional finale.

I'm obsessed with performing L'Orfeo with the Bacchanalia. For this I will compose the missing music in the style of Monteverdi. We will see a world premiere of the original concept, 500 years after it was written!”

Teatro Comunale di Vicenza

L'Orfeo Monteverdi

Approved

Production booklet

Further reading