Orfeo ed Euridice
Opera North | Leeds Grand Theatre & UK tour | 2022
A broken heart, a grieving widower, a timeless love story. Orfeo is on a mission through the underworld of Hades to rescue his love Euridice. But there’s a catch: he must not look back or speak to her, or he’ll lose her for all eternity.
Gluck reserved some of his finest arias for the doomed lovers, including Orfeo’s heart breaking cry for his lost love ‘Che farò senza Euridice’. Overflowing with hope, desire, and the utter agony of heartbreak, this pioneering masterpiece cuts straight to the heart in a stripped-back concert performance that elevates the emotional power of the music and the splendour of the chorus and orchestra.
Conductor: Antony Hermus/Laurence Cummings (4 Nov)
Concert placing: Sophie Gilpin
Orfeo: Alice Coote/Polly Leech (26 Oct)
Euridice: Fflur Wyn
Amore: Daisy Brown
Chorus & Orchestra of Opera North
Production Photos
Reviews
"IT IS A MARK OF THE POWER OF OPERA NORTH'S PRODUCTION THAT THERE WAS AN AUDIBLE GASP FROM THE AUDIENCE WHEN ORFEO TURNS AROUND TO BEHOLD HIS WIFE. THIS IS STORY-TELLING STRIPPED TO ITS ESSENTIALS, THE CONCENTRATED EMOTION EVEN MORE POTENT... THERE IS SO MUCH THAT IS DRAMATIC IN THIS PRODUCTION THAT IT'S EASY TO FORGET THAT IT ISN'T FULLY STAGED."
★★★★ REVIEWSGATE
"WHEN IS A CONCERT PERFORMANCE OF AN OPERA NOT A CONCERT PERFORMANCE? THE LINE IS HARD TO DRAW WITH A COMPANY AS RESOURCEFUL AS OPERA NORTH... WITH A TOP-CLASS CAST AND THEIR REMARKABLE CHORUS, THE COMPANY HAS PUT ON WHAT FOR MANY OTHERS WOULD HAVE BEEN A RESPECTABLE THEATRE PRODUCTION."
★★★★ THEATRE REVIEWS NORTH
"A HIGHLY-DRAMATIC AND FIRST-CLASS PERFORMANCE... FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH PASSION, OPERA NORTH'S ORFEO ED EURIDICE WAS EMOTIONAL, CAPTIVATING AND LIKE EVERY GOOD OPERA SHOULD BE - HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL."
★★★★★ FAIRY POWERED PRODUCTIONS
"THOUGH BILLED AS A 'CONCERT PERFORMANCE', THIS WAS REALLY MUCH MORE THAN THAT... I'VE SEEN POORER PRODUCTION VALUES IN OTHER PLACES THAT CLAIMED A DIRECTOR, A DESIGNER AND PRODUCTION STAFF. IN THIS CASE THE ONLY PUBLISHED CREDIT, APART FROM THOSE TO THE MUSICIANS , LANGUAGE COACH AND STAGE MANAGEMENT, IS TO SOPHIE GILPIN FOR 'CONCERT PLACING'. BUT SOMEONE'S BEEN WORKING HARD."
THE ARTS DESK
"ALTHOUGH ORFEO ED EURIDICE IS DESCRIBED BY OPERA NORTH AS A 'CONCERT PERFORMANCE' THIS IS REALLY A SEMI-STAGING, AND A MOST EFFECTIVE ONE TOO... ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IS DUE TO SOPHIE GILPIN WHO DID A FIRST-CLASS JOB DIRECTING THE LIMITED STAGE AND COSTUME ARRANGEMENTS."
SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL
"THERE IS A STAR-LIT BACK-CLOTH, A PLATFORM IN THE CENTRE OF THE STAGE THAT ACTS AS A TOMB, AND DRAMATIC THEATRE LIGHTING. THE SINGER, INCLUDING A LARGE CHORUS, ARE ALL IN CHARACTER; SO RATHER THAN A CONCERT IT FEELS LIKE THE CAST HAS FALLEN DOWN A GREAT HOLE INTO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH. FOR GLUCK'S LATE 18TH CENTURY REFORMING OPERA, WHERE THE HERO WALKS THROUGH HELL AND BACK, THE STAGING WORKS PERFECTLY AND ONLY ADDS TO THE INTENSITY OF THE EMOTION IN THE PIECE"
QUAYS LIFE