Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice (1982 TV Movie) was directed by Rodney Greenberg. It's a record of a live performance given at the Glyndebourne Opera. The legend of Orpheus and Euridice is part of our culture. It's made for opera, because the plot hinges on the fact that Orpheus is a brilliant musician. Gluck's version is still performed frequently, as is an equally wonderful version by Claudio Monteverdi.
This Orpheus stars Dame Janet Baker as Orfeo. (When women portray men in opera, it's called a "trouser role.") Dame Janet was one of the greatest mezzo-sopranos of the 20th Century, and when you hear her sing in this opera you immediately know why.
The Swiss soprano Elisabeth Speiser sang the role of Euridice. She was admirable, but it must have been hard playing opposite Dame Janet.
Orfeo ed Euridice is available on DVD, which is how we watched it. The acoustic quality of the opera was excellent but, 40 years later, the visual image isn't as crisp as it would have been if the recording had been done now. The film has an excellent IMDb rating of 8.2. I thought it was even better than that, and rated it 9.
Personal note: A few years ago we saw a student production of this opera at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. I don't remember much about the mezzo-soprano, but soprano Ellen Robertson was superb. Remember that name--some day she may sing Euridice in a new version at Glyndebourne. If not there, then at the Metropolitan, Covent Garden, or La Scala.
This Orpheus stars Dame Janet Baker as Orfeo. (When women portray men in opera, it's called a "trouser role.") Dame Janet was one of the greatest mezzo-sopranos of the 20th Century, and when you hear her sing in this opera you immediately know why.
The Swiss soprano Elisabeth Speiser sang the role of Euridice. She was admirable, but it must have been hard playing opposite Dame Janet.
Orfeo ed Euridice is available on DVD, which is how we watched it. The acoustic quality of the opera was excellent but, 40 years later, the visual image isn't as crisp as it would have been if the recording had been done now. The film has an excellent IMDb rating of 8.2. I thought it was even better than that, and rated it 9.
Personal note: A few years ago we saw a student production of this opera at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. I don't remember much about the mezzo-soprano, but soprano Ellen Robertson was superb. Remember that name--some day she may sing Euridice in a new version at Glyndebourne. If not there, then at the Metropolitan, Covent Garden, or La Scala.
