Orpheus and Eurydice

Following the success of their recent production MOURN with Alkanna Graeca, FIGURE, in collaboration with Refound, return to present their new production, Orpheus and Eurydice.

The production stars Hugh Cutting, winner of the 2025 International Opera Rising Star Award and the first countertenor to win the Kathleen Ferrier Award, and is directed by Laura Hounsell, winner of the 2025 Nicky Creed Award at Garsington Opera.

In the ancient Greek legend, Orpheus travels to the underworld to rescue his lost love, Eurydice. He is granted the chance to bring her out of the afterlife and back to the world, but on the condition that he does not look back at her while he leads her. At the final moment, Orpheus can no longer resist the temptation, and turns to look at Eurydice, tragically losing her again, forever. The story has been told and retold through history, and has been a particular source of inspiration to composers - Orpheus is a musician, and he is able to persuade the gods to let him find his dead lover because his sorrowful songs are so beautiful. Christoph Willibald Gluck’s working of the tale, his 1762 Orfeo ed Euridice, marks a significant moment in the history of opera: a departure from a form in which a narrative serves as a vehicle to showcase music and vocal athleticism, to one which puts the music in service of the drama.

In the spirit of Gluck’s reform, FIGURE is reworking his opera into a new chamber version for mixed ensemble. By contemporising the story and the music, the opera is no longer an artefact of the 18th century but the modern drama which Gluck wanted to create.