Opera "Orpheus and Eurydice": content, video, history, interesting facts

K. Gluck opera "Orpheus and Eurydice"

The famous opera "Orpheus and Eurydice" by Christoph Willibald Gluck especially vividly praises the lofty feelings, devoted love and dedication of the heroes of Greek mythology. The antique plot, saturated with dramatic elements, is the most common in the opera and is found in the musical works of many composers.

Summary

The legendary musician Orpheus does not find peace; his beloved Eurydice died and the unfortunate spouse did not move away from her tomb. In tears, Orpheus cries out to the gods with a request to return his wife to life or to kill him. The velvety voice of the musician heard the heavens. At the behest of Zeus appears Cupid, which is designed to voice the will of the gods. The heavenly messenger notifies Orpheus that he is allowed to descend into hell and find his wife. If the sounds of the lyre and the beautiful voice of the inconsolable husband touch the spirits, he will be able to return Eurydice. However, on the way from the kingdom of the dead, Orpheus should not look back, he is also forbidden to look into the eyes of his wife. The last condition is the most difficult, but mandatory. Looking back, Orpheus will forever lose his Eurydice.
The beloved Orpheus is ready for any ordeal, and here he faces the gloomy terrain, shrouded in thick fog. The mystical entities living here block the path to the uninvited guest and try to frighten him with their wild dances and visions. Orpheus begs the spirits for mercy, but only the power of art can alleviate his suffering. Amazing lyre melodies and the divine voice of the singer defeat the hellish guards, the spirits yield and the road to the underworld opens up to him.

After a difficult trial, Orpheus enters the village of blissful shadows. This amazing terrain is called Elysium. Here, among the shadows of the dead, is peaceful Eurydice. In this place Orpheus feels calm and bliss, but without his beloved, his happiness is incomplete. The wonderful landscape and melodious singing of birds fascinate and inspire Orpheus. The musician enthusiastically praises the hymn to the beauty of nature. The chant of an in love spouse attracts blissful shadows that lead to Eurydice. One of the shadows removes the veil from the deceased and joins the hands of lovers, reminding the faithful spouse of an important condition. Orpheus hastily leads his wife away without looking back. On the way from the afterlife, Eurydice gradually turns into a living woman with passionate feelings and emotions.

The lovers again fall into the frightening and mysterious gorge with steep cliffs and gloomy winding paths. Orpheus seeks to leave this place sooner, but Eurydice is disappointed by her spouse's composure; she asks her lover to look into her eyes and show her old feelings. Orpheus did not pitch. Has his love faded away? Why did her beloved husband become indifferent? Eurydice refuses to leave the underworld. It is better to return to the realm of the dead than to live in contempt of a loved one. Orpheus experiences terrible spiritual torments and, finally, gives in to his beloved pleasures, embracing her. The prophecy of the gods comes true and Eurydice falls dead.

There is no limit burning Orpheus. Just a few steps were not enough for him to find happiness, and now his beloved wife is dead forever. Desperate, he tries to commit suicide, but the god of love Amur stops the unfortunate lover. Ardent feelings and dedication of the great musician amaze the gods, and they resurrect Eurydice. The choir of the shepherds and shepherds solemnly greets lovers. There are songs and dances praising the wisdom of the gods and the power of all-conquering love.

A photo:

Interesting Facts

• Gluck greatly simplified the technique of singing, and the overture created an atmosphere of mood for the next performance of the performance.
• Quite an interesting story has the rock opera "Orpheus and Eurydice", created during the times of the Soviet Union. The performance was a huge success in the country and was played 2,000 times. The performance in the genre of rock music awarded the diploma of the British Musical Award, but has never been staged abroad. The rock opera was updated eight times, and in 2003 it was included in the Guinness book for the performance of the musical 2350 times by one troupe.
• In the Soviet Union, the term “rock” caused unpleasant emotions among representatives of the Ministry of Culture, therefore the rock opera with the plot about Orpheus was called “zong-opera”.
• The first performer of the role of Orpheus in the zong-opera was Albert Assadulin. A talented actor with a crystal clear voice by education artist-architect. In 2000, this artist presented his own version of the work.
• The opera "Orpheus and Eurydice" by Gluck is considered to be reformative due to the author’s desire to harmoniously merge dramatic elements and music. Despite the success of the premiere in 1762 and the presentation of the second edition in 1774, the opera created the basis for many disputes. The public did not immediately take the innovative decisions of the Austrian composer, but after re-changing the opera in 1859, the conflict finally ended in favor of Gluck.
• Raniero Calzabiji warmly supported Gluck during the compilation of the plot and the production of the play. The legend of Orpheus had a lot of different variations, but the librettist chose the plot from the collection Georgikiki, written by the great Roman poet Virgil. The author describes vivid mythological images and at the end of the book retells the famous myth about Orpheus.
• Orpheus personified the power of musical art, he became the founder of the philosophical direction - Orphism. This religious school played a role in the development of Greek science.
• In 1950, the myth of "Orpheus and Eurydice" in a modified form was filmed in France. The plot of the film differs significantly from the ancient Greek myth.
• Gluck became the first composer, combining poetry and music into one. The efforts of the author were rewarded with stunning success, honorary titles and cash prizes. In 1774, Maria Theresa honored the great maestro with the title of court composer with a salary of 2000 guilders, and Marie Antoinette presented the famous author with 20,000 livres for Orpheus and as much for Iphigenia.

Popular arias and numbers

Overture (listen)

Orpheus's aria - Che farò senza Euridice (listen)

Furies Choir - Chi Mai dell'Erebo (listen)

Eurydice Aria - Che fiero momento (listen)

History of creation

According to Greek mythology, Orpheus was revered as a great musician. This legendary hero was worshiped like a deity, so opera productions about him are very natural. The earliest opera score, based on the plot of Orpheus, dates back to 1600. Later, in the 18th and 19th centuries, composers repeatedly create their own musical works with the participation of this character, and among the most recent authors is the French composer and music critic Darius Milhaud.

To date, we can see only one version of the plot about Orpheus - this is the work of Orpheus and Eurydice by Christopher Willibald Gluck. Together with his like-minded person, librettist Raniero da Calzabiji, the Austrian composer changed the plot of the myth somewhat. The number of acts has been reduced, however many choir numbers and ballet inserts have been added. The premiere of the opera based on the Greek myth took place on October 5, 1762 in Vienna. Antique heroes appeared before the viewer as mere mortals with feelings and emotions inherent in ordinary people. Thus, the author expressed his categorical protest against pathos and arrogance.

Productions

The first production of the opera, dated October 5, 1762, is not quite different from the traditional solemn performances of that time. In this version, the decorative role of Cupid is presented, and the performance of the arias of the main character is entrusted to a male alto. The happy ending of the opera glorifies the triumph of love and loyalty, unlike the ending of the myth, where Eurydice dies forever.

The second edition of the opera was significantly different from the first, since it was rewritten. The musical work was staged in Paris in 1774. This variation is characterized by the expressiveness of the role of Orpheus, which the tenor now plays. At the end of the action in hell the music from the ballet "Don Juan" sounds. Flute solo accompanies music "shadows".

The opera changed again in 1859 thanks to the French composer and conductor Hector Berlioz. Then the role of Orpheus performed by a woman Pauline Viardot. Since that time, there is a tradition of performing the role of the main character of the contralto singer.
The Russian audience first saw the opera in 1782 in the Italian style, and the first Russian production was played in St. Petersburg in 1867.

The sad legend about unfortunate lovers has undergone many changes, however, only Christoph Willibald Gluck artificially combined the plot structure of the piece with musicality. Each aria of the opera is distinguished by beauty, artistry and completeness, and the technique of singing has become more natural and understandable for the listener. Thanks to Gluck, we can see the real triumph of love and loyalty. The Austrian composer replaced the tragic end with a happy ending. The musical work proves to the viewer that neither time, nor distance, nor even death is capable of real feelings.

We are pleased to offer opera singers and a symphony orchestra to perform arias and excerpts from the opera Orpheus and Eurydice at your event.