Orphée aux Enfers

Jacques Offenbach's bubbly spoof of the mythological story of Orpheus descending into the underworld to bring back his wife, Eurydice, receives a breakneck mounting in this 1997 taping from the Opéra National de Lyon; in fact, Marc Minkowski's conducting is so fast-paced that at times the piece becomes frenetic rather than effervescent. The staging, moreover, is based on the 1858 original rather than the 1874 expansion, which means that delectable material is omitted (although some of the later additions are incorporated). One can also quibble about the sets—awfully bare except in the second tableau, where the Olympian heights are presented as clouds and pillows—and the costumes, which vary from starkly modern to surrealistically odd. But the singing makes up for any visual lapses, with Natalie Dessay exhibiting both vocal agility and superb comic timing as Eurydice, and Yann Beuron making a suitably pompous Orpheus, while Laurent Naouri has Jupiter's bluster down pat. The lesser roles are also well done, with Jean-Paul Fouchecourt's Pluto, Steven Cole's John Styx, Cassandre Berthon's Cupid, and Etienne Lescroart's Mercury standing out. Some of the satire is bound to elude modern audiences, who may also be less familiar than 19th-century patrons were with the classical myths being parodied; and some of director Laurent Pelly's gags are pretty juvenile. But in a production as sprightly and funny as this, boasting good camerawork and sound, Offenbach's giddy romp can hardly fail to please. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, and PCM stereo, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)