Orfeo ed Euridice

With direction, choreography, set and costume design and lighting by Teshigawara Saburo, a dancer whose impeccable aesthetic sense has captivated audiences worldwide, this production of Orfeo ed Euridice once again brings to life a hauntingly beautiful world merging opera and dance. This intense and dynamic production shifting between life and death, between light and darkness, won the hearts of not only opera and dance fans but of art lovers everywhere. The broadcast of this production on OperaVision after the theatre performance has also generated considerable interest.

Orfeo ed Euridice is Gluck's masterpiece based on the Greek myth about the legend of Orpheus in which the poet Orpheus ventures into the underworld to retrieve his wife--under the strict condition that he must absolutely never look back. An 'opera revolutionary' who aimed to meld music and theatre, Gluck created an opera packed with dramatic tension. That entertaining theatrical aspect has made Orfeo ed Euridice one of the most popular and most frequently performed of all Baroque operas.

This production is conducted by Sonoda Ryuichiro, one of Japan's leading opera conductors with particular expertise in Italian opera. One of today's finest contemporary alto singers, Sara Mingardo performs the leading role of Orfeo, and Italian early music specialist Giulia Semenzato portrays Euridice.