Orphée et Euridice

Although the original 1762 Vienna version of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s opera, which reformed lyric tragedy by emphasizing emotional expression over vocal pyrotechnics, was performed in Italian, this 2018 production from La Scala in Milan presents the French revision that the composer made for Paris in 1774. In addition to the language alteration, it also adds new music—mostly brief dances for the interpolated ballets that French audiences expected—while rewriting the role of Orpheus, the musician who travels to Hades to bring his late wife back to the world of the living, from alto to high tenor. Juan Diego Flórez does not possess the sort of haute-contre voice for which Gluck wrote (or rewrote) the role, but his heroic tenor is so free, accurate, and dramatic that it would be churlish to complain, while sopranos Christiane Karg (Euridice) and Fatma Said (L’Amour) provide admirable support. Unfortunately, under conductor Michele Mariotti, the orchestra—situated on a moving platform at the rear of the stage—as well as the chorus sound a bit mushy. Nor does Hofesh Shechter’s choreography come across as particularly apt, involving mostly angular, spasmodic movements, while the spare sets and modern costumes are not terribly inviting. One might also dispute some staging decisions by Shechter and John Fulljames—for instance, the decision to have Orpheus at the close immolate a mannequin to signify a second funeral service for the wife he has now lost twice. But the quality of the vocalism alone makes this worth considering. Presented in DTS 5.0, Dolby Digital 5.0, and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.0 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)