Orfeo ed Euridice

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Work data
Title: Orfeo ed Euridice
Title page of the score of the Paris version of 1774

Title page of the score of the Paris version of 1774

Shape: a) “Azione teatrale” in three acts
b) “Tragédie-opéra” in three acts
Original language: a) Italian
b) French
Music: Christoph Willibald Gluck
Libretto : a) Ranieri de 'Calzabigi
b) Pierre Louis Moline after Calzabigi
Literary source: Ovid : Metamorphoses
Premiere: a) October 5, 1762
b) August 2, 1774
Place of premiere: a) Wiener Burgtheater
b) Académie Royale de Musique in Paris
Playing time: a) approx. 2 hours
b) approx. 2 ½ hours
Place and time of the action: at Lake Avern , mythical time
people

(Italian / French / German)

Orfeo ed Euridice (French Orphée et Euridice , German Orpheus and Eurydice ) is an opera (original name: "Azione teatrale per musica" or "Tragédie-opéra") in three acts that tells the story of the Thracian singer Orpheus . The music is by Christoph Willibald Gluck , the libretto by Ranieri de 'Calzabigi . The first performance of the Italian first version took place on October 5, 1762 in the Vienna Burgtheater , the French second version on August 2, 1774 in the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris.

action

The Greek myth of Orpheus originally took place in Thrace . To ensure the unity of the place, the librettist Calzabigi relocated it to Lake Avern , which in ancient Rome was regarded as the entrance to the underworld.

The scene division of the following table of contents refers to the Italian (Viennese) version from 1762. The scene numbers and the pieces added in the French (Parisian) version from 1774 are given in square brackets.

first act

Pretty, but lonely laurel and cypress grove that surrounds the tomb of Eurydice in an artificial clearing on a small plain

Scene 1 [1–2]. Together with shepherds, Orpheus mourns her loss at the grave of Eurydice (chorus: “Ah! Se intorno a quest'urna funesta” / “Ah! Dans ce bois”). At his request, the friends leave him alone so that he can devote himself to his grief (aria: “Chiamo il mio ben così” / “Objet de mon amour!”). In desperation, he asks the gods to give him back his mate. Otherwise he would go himself into the underworld and snatch it from them.

Scene 2 [3–4]. The love god Amor appears with the message that Zeus ( Jupiter ) allows the singer to descend to Hades : If he manages to stir the furies there with his song, he can lead Eurydice back to the living [Aria: “Si les doux accords de ta lyre ”], on the condition that he does not look back to her on the way back (aria:“ Gli sguardi trattieni ”/“ Soumis au silence ”). Orpheus gathers all his courage [aria: "L'espoir renaît dans mon âme"]. Under lightning and thunder, he sets off with his lyre .

Second act

Eerie cave area on the bank of the river Kokytos , in the distance fogged by a dark, flame-riddled smoke

Scene 1 [1]. The guardians of Hades initially reject Orpheus (ballet chorus: "Chi mai dell'Erebo" / "Quel est l'audacieux"). Furies and spirits swirl around him to frighten him. Finally, through persistent playing and singing (Orfeo: “Deh placatevi con me” / “Laissez vous toucher”) he succeeds in appeasing them (chorus: “Misero giovane, che vuoi, che mediti” / “Qui t'amène en ces lieux ”) until they let him in (chorus:“ Ah, quale incognito affetto flebile ”/“ Quels chants doux et touchants! ”). The furies and monsters withdraw [ Air des Furies ].

Lovely landscape with green woods, blooming meadows, shady places, rivers and streams

Scene 2 [2–3]. Orpheus enters the Elysium , the serenity of the blessed spirits surrounds him ([ Ballet des Ombres heureuses - Aria Euridice: "Cet asile aimable"] - Arioso: "Che puro ciel" / "Quel nouveau ciel" - Choir: "Vieni a 'regni del riposo "/" Viens dans ce séjour paisible "), but he can only put aside his unrest when his wife appears, attracted by the sounds of his lyre (chorus:" Torna, o bella, al tuo consorte "/" Près du tendre objet qu'on aime ”). He takes her by the hand and hurries her out without looking at her.

Third act

Gloomy, labyrinthine winding grotto, surrounded by stone blocks carved out of the rock and completely covered by scrub and wild plants

Scene 1. When they are almost out of the daylight (duet: “Vieni appaga il tuo consorte” / “Viens, suis un époux”), Eurydice complains that her husband does not look at her, so he no longer loves her and prefers to go to the underworld want to return. Orpheus cannot calm her down and she panics (Aria Euridice: “Che fiero momento” / “Fortune ennemie”). Orpheus cannot avoid turning to look at her. At that moment she collapses and dies. Again he complains of his suffering (aria: “Che farò senza Euridice?” / “J'ai perdu mon Eurydice”) and wants to stab himself.

Scene 2. Cupid snatches the drawn dagger from Orpheus and brings Eurydice back to life.

Magnificent temple dedicated to Cupid

Scene 3. Amor, Orpheus, Eurydice and the shepherds and shepherdesses celebrate their return with happy dances and praise Amor (choir: “Trionfi Amore” / “L'Amour triomphe”).

  • Scenes

  • Cupid and Orfeo - Florida Grand Opera 2018

  • Das Elysium - Victrola book of the opera

  • Gloomy Grotto - Victrola book of the opera

  • Final scene - Florida Grand Opera 2018

Work history

Vienna 1762

Through the mediation of Count Giacomo Durazzo , the artistic director of the Vienna Court Theater , Christoph Willibald Gluck met the Italian poet Ranieri de 'Calzabigi , who had just arrived in Vienna from Paris, in February 1761 , with whom he subsequently worked several times. The occasion and first joint project was the dance drama Don Juan, an experimental pantomime production "dans le goût des Anciens" with the dancer and choreographer Gasparo Angiolini and the architect and set designer Giovanni Maria Quaglio , which premiered that same year . While the ballet did not require a libretto, it is believed that Calzabigi co-authored the aesthetic essay on the art of dance included in the program.

The Orfeo is the first of the three reform operas by Gluck and Calzabigi. This was followed by Alceste and Paride ed Elena. Calzabigi probably already had a version of the libretto with him when he arrived in Vienna. It is based on a fable from the Metamorphoses of Ovid , who gave Calzabigi a happy ending according to the taste of the time. This project too was about the renewal of an art form based on the example of ancient theater, since the Italian opera seria defended by Pietro Metastasio in Vienna was frozen in schematic conventions. Gluck probably only began setting the music after the premiere of his previous opera Le cadi dupé in December 1761. He composed almost all of the pieces from scratch . Calzabigi himself emphasized the intensive collaboration in a letter of June 26, 1784 to the Mercure de France and emphasized (probably exaggerated) his own part in the composition.

The opera was premiered on October 5, 1762 on the name day of Emperor Franz I in Vienna in the presence of the entire court under the direction of the composer. Old castrato Gaetano Guadagni (Orpheus), Marianna Bianchi (Euridice) and Lucie Clavareau (Amore) sang. As with Don Juan , the choreography was done by Gasparo Angiolini and the set by Giovanni Maria Quaglio. The work was not particularly successful with the public, but was discussed intensively by the professional world. Translations into German and French appeared that same year.

Although Durazzo had a score published in Paris in an unusual way at his own expense in 1764, the work spread mainly through singers in the role of Orfeo, who brought it to their respective places of performance. It was also used as a courtly festive opera ( serenata ), for example in 1765 on the occasion of Joseph II's coronation as emperor in Frankfurt. Due to its brevity, it was often supplemented as a pasticcio with pieces by other composers or performed together with a ballet or theater piece. Concert performances were also popular. Orfeo's aria “Che farò senza Euridice?” (III: 1) was sung with spiritual text in Austrian and Bohemian monasteries, and other numbers were also given as individual pieces.

Parma 1769

In 1769, Gluck used an edited version with the title Atto d'Orfeo as one of the four parts of his work Le Solid s'Apollo, composed for the wedding of Archduchess Maria Amalia with the Infante Ferdinand of Spain in Parma . Gluck kept the sequence of the musical numbers apart from the final ballet, which is deleted here. The work was first played on August 24, 1769. Gluck adapted the title role for the castrato soprano Giuseppe Millico . This soprano version was played in many other countries in the following decades.

Paris 1774

In 1774 Gluck revised his opera in Paris as "Tragédie-opéra" with the title Orphée et Euridice . The French-language libretto was created by Pierre Louis Moline based on Calzabigi's template. After Iphigénie en Aulide, which premiered the same year, it was his second French reform opera. The arias, choirs and dances were largely adopted; however, the French language made it necessary to compose the recitatives from scratch. Since the work was not full-length, a few additional pieces were added, some of whose music was taken from Gluck's earlier works. These include Orphées aria “L'espoir renaît dans mon âme” (I: 4) and the dances of the furies and the blessed spirits as well as Euridice's scene “Cet asile aimable” in the second act. Gluck added at the end for the taste of the Parisian audience Ballet according to the tradition of tragédie lyrique . He also transposed the part of Orpheus for the singer Joseph Legros into a high tenor register ( Haute-Contre ). This made further adjustments to the disposition of the keys necessary. The instrumentation of the two versions is also different. The tines , Chalumeaux and English horns replaced by Gluck clarinets and oboes. The harpsichord was also no longer used. Instead, he designed the low string parts for the bass foundation in a more differentiated manner. The reasons why Gluck did not create an original work for this, but rather revised an Italian opera, are not known. Since the time between the premieres of the Iphigénie and the Orphée was tight, the authors were under time pressure, but programmatic reasons are also conceivable. As discrepancies between the printed versions of the libretto and the score show, they apparently continued to work on the work during the rehearsal phase. Because of the period of mourning after the death of King Louis XV. the samples had to be suspended between May 1st and June 15th.

The premiere of this French version was on August 2, 1774 at the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris with Joseph Legros as Orphée, Sophie Arnould as Euridice and Rosalie Levasseur as L'Amour. As with the previous Iphigénie , there were many discussions about the work in advance. The production was a great success with both audiences and critics. There were 47 performances by November. Subsequently, the work remained almost consistently in the program of the Paris Opera until 1800, with changes and reassignments made again and again. The score dedicated to Marie Antoinette appeared in print immediately after the premiere. In a second, less successful series of performances between 1809 and 1817, Louis Nourrit sang the somewhat simplified part of Orphée.

Berlioz 1859 and further reception

State Opera in the Schillertheater , Berlin 2016, conductor: Daniel Barenboim , director: Jürgen Flimm , stage: Gehry Partners , costumes: Florence von Gerkan , with Bejun Mehta and Anna Prohaska

In the 19th century the work was initially not very popular until it was revived through efforts by Richard Wagner , performances by Franz Liszt in Weimar in 1854 and a new version by Hector Berlioz for the contralto Pauline Viardot-García in the title role. The latter was shown for the first time in 1859 in the Paris Théâtre-Lyrique with Marie-Constance Sass as Euridice. Pauline Viardot-García's husband Louis Viardot revised the libretto based on Moline's French model. Berlioz also essentially took the French score as a basis, but resorted to the Italian version for individual pieces (especially Orpheus' solo pieces) if he thought it was musically or dramatically more successful. He also divided the work into four acts (the scenes in the underworld and in the realm of the blessed form two separate acts here), deleted a number of numbers (including the third verse of Orpheus' "Objet de mon amour", the trio in the third act and the final ballet) and replaced the final chorus with that of Gluck's opera Echo et Narcisse (“Le Dieu de Paphos et de Gnide”). In terms of the key scheme and at some points in the instrumentation, he followed the original version. Another mixed version comes from the German music publisher Alfred Dörffel .

The various mixed versions dominated performance practice well into the 20th century, although they represent “musically and dramaturgically crimes against Gluck and Calzabigi”. Often these were Italianized three-act versions of Berlioz's arrangement, sometimes supplemented by the numbers that Berlioz had crossed out. The title role was mostly taken over by female singers. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Hermann Prey sang a version for baritone . More recently, the first version has also been performed more frequently, often with countertenors in the part of Orfeo. The extreme highs of the French version composed for Legros can only be mastered by a few tenors. By transposing the score one note down, however, it is possible to come close to its original form.

layout

Reform Opera

Calzabigi's libretto is a clear departure from the previous format of the opera seria . The innovations go far beyond previous reform attempts. The text has a mythological instead of a historical plot and dispenses with complex political and amorous entanglements. The number of characters has been reduced from the usual six to just three. In return, analogous to the French opera, the choir gained greater importance. He and the ballet are involved in the plot. Instead of the traditional alternation of the story-based recitative and the subsequent reflective aria, there are large interrelated scenes. The highly emotional language is almost unadorned. Euridice's “Che fiero momento” (III: 1) is the only traditional da capo aria , but its form is also dissolved at the end. However, the division into three acts, the cast of the protagonist with a castrato and the happy ending brought about by the god Amor have been retained. However, this is already part of the plot in the first act and thus not just a deus ex machina as in the opera seria.

Gluck continued the reforms proposed by Calzabigi in his music. The virtuoso coloratura style of the seria arias has been replaced by a more natural and simple way of singing. Instead of large arias, there are simple song forms and choirs, which are connected to coherent scene blocks with the help of a well thought-out key scheme. Expressive well-composed Accompagnatos replace the secco recitatives of the opera seria. The overture represents the wedding feast of Orpheus and Eurydice in a stylized way and is thus integrated into the plot like the choirs and dances.

In the Paris version of 1774, Gluck and Moline adapted the work to the customs of the French tragédie lyrique and developed them further in return. The newly composed recitatives correspond neither to the Italian style nor to the French “Récitatif mesuré”, but have their own tone of voice. Compared to the original recitatives of the 1762 version, they are tighter and at the same time more dramatic and rich in nuances. The authors emphasized the contrast between the static and the moving scenes of the work even more. The former were expanded with a few additional pieces. The aria "L'espoir renaît dans mon âme" (I: 4) added for Legros, on the other hand, is a traditional virtuoso final aria.

orchestra

Orchestra of the Italian version Orfeo ed Euridice, Vienna 1762:

Orchestra line-up of the Atto d'Orfeo from Lefest s'Apollo, Parma 1769:

  • Woodwind: two flutes, two oboes, two bassoons
  • Brass: two horns, two trumpets
  • Timpani
  • harp
  • Strings
  • harpsichord

Orchestra of the French version Orphée et Euridice, Paris 1774:

  • Woodwind: two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets , two bassoons
  • Brass: two horns, two trumpets, three trombones
  • Timpani
  • Strings
  • Incidental music: oboe, harp

Orchestra line-up of the version by Hector Berlioz, Paris 1859:

  • Woodwind: two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons
  • Brass: two horns, two cornets à pistons , two trumpets, three trombones
  • Timpani
  • harp
  • Strings
  • Incidental music: oboe, clarinet, harp, strings (solo)

Music numbers Vienna 1762

The Viennese version of 1762 contains the following pieces of music (German text beginnings after translation by Opera-Guide):

  • Overture

first act

Scene 1

  • Choir and solo (shepherds and nymphs, Orpheus): "Ah, se intorno a quest'urna funesta" - "O if in these dark groves"
  • Recitative (Orfeo): "Basta, basta, o compagni" - "O friends, this complaint only increases my suffering!"
  • Ballet: Larghetto
  • Choir (shepherds and nymphs): "Ah, se intorno a quest'urna funesta" - "O if in these dark groves"
  • Aria (Orfeo): "Chiamo il mio ben così" - "So I lament her death"
  • Recitative (Orfeo): “Euridice, Euridice, ombra cara” - “Eurydice, Eurydice! Expensive shadow! "
  • Aria (Orfeo): "Cerco il mio ben così" - "Wailingly, I am so wrong"
  • Recitative (Orfeo): “Euridice, Euridice! Ah, questo nome "-" Eurydice, Eurydicle "
  • Aria (Orfeo): "Piango il mio ben così" - "I remember you crying"
  • Recitative (Orfeo): "Numi, barbari numi" - "Cruel gods of Acheron"

Scene 2

  • Recitative (Amore, Orfeo): "T'assiste Amore!" - "God Amor comes for consolation"
  • Aria (Amore): "Gli sguardi trattieni" - "Your harp playing harmonies"
  • Recitative (Orfeo): “Che disse? Che ascoltai? "-" How, should I see you again? "

Second act

Scene 1

  • Ballet: Maestoso
  • Choir (furies and spirits): “Chi mai dell'Erebo fra le caligini” - “Who is the mortal” Adapted
    from Don Juan, No. 15: Allegro non troppo
  • Ballet: Presto
  • Choir (furies and spirits): "Chi mai dell'Erebo fra le caligini" - "Who is the mortal"
  • Ballet: Maestoso
  • Solo and choir (orfeo, furies and spirits): "Deh placatevi con me" - "Oh, have mercy, have mercy on me!"
  • Choir (furies and spirits): "Misero giovane, che vuoi, che mediti" - "Wailing mortal, what do you want, what are you looking for here?"
  • Aria (Orfeo): "Mille pene" - "A thousand torments, threatening shadows"
  • Choir (furies and spirits): "Ah, quale incognito affetto flebile" - "What an unusual instinct"
  • Aria (Orfeo): "Men tiranne" - "Gods of death, listen graciously"
  • Choir (furies and spirits): "Ah, quale incognito affetto flebile" - "His gentle funeral song"

Scene 2

  • Ballet: Andante
  • Arioso (Orfeo, choir): “Che puro ciel” - “What a pure sky covers this place!”
    Transfer from Ezio (Prague 1750), No. 7: Aria of Massimo “Se povero il ruscello”
  • Choir (heroes and heroines): "Vieni a 'regni del riposo" - "Come into the kingdom of happy shadows"
  • Ballet: Andante
  • Recitative and choir (Orfeo, Helden und Heldinnen): "Anime avventurose" - "O sel'ge, happy shadows"
  • Choir (heroes and heroines): "Torna, o bella, al tuo consorte" - "Shadow blessed from the realm"

Third act

Scene 1

  • Recitative (Orfeo, Euridice): "Vieni, segui i miei passi" - "So come, Eurydice, follow me"
  • Duet (Orfeo, Euridice): "Vieni appaga il tuo consorte" - "Come and trust my loyalty!"
  • Recitative (Euridice): "Qual vita è questa mai" - "Oh, why does he stay"
  • Aria (Euridice): "Che fiero momento" - "What a cruel change"
  • Recitative (Orfeo, Euridice): "Ecco in nuovo tormento!" - "Oh, now my misery again!"
  • Aria (Orfeo): "Che farò senza Euridice?" - "Oh, I have lost her"
    Takeover from L'ivrogne corrigé, No. 5: Arie des Cléon "Avec nous il prit naissance"
  • Recitative (Orfeo): "Ah finisca, e per semper" - "This is how the deep pain with my life may end!"

Scene 2

  • Recitative (Amore, Orfeo, Euridice): “Orfeo, che fai?” - “Stop! What you are doing?"

Scene 3

  • Ballet: Maestoso
  • Ballet: (Grazioso) - Allegro - Andante - Allegro
  • Solos and choir (Orfeo, Amore, Euridice, shepherds and shepherds): "Trionfi Amore" - "Triumph be Amor"

Musical numbers Paris 1774

The Paris version of 1774 contains the following pieces of music:

first act

Scene 1

  • Choir (Orphée, shepherds): “Ah! Dans ce bois "
  • Recitative (Orphée): "Vos plaintes, vos regrets"
  • mime
  • Choir (shepherds): “Ah! Dans ce bois "
  • Recitative (Orphée): "Eloignez-vous"
  • Ritual

Scene 2

  • Aria (Orphée): "Objet de mon amour!"
  • Recitative (Orphée): “Euridice! Euridice! "
  • Aria (Orphée): "Accablé de regrets"
  • Recitative (Orphée): “Euridice! Euridice! "
  • Aria (Orphée): "Plein de trouble et d'effroi"
  • Recitative (Orphée): "Divinités de l'Achéron"

Scene 3

  • Recitative (L'Amour): "L'Amour vient au secours"
  • Aria and recitative (L'Amour, Orphée): "Si les doux accords de ta lyre"
  • Aria (L'Amour): "Soumis au silence"

Scene 4

  • Recitative (Orphée): "Impitoyables Dieux!"
  • Ariette (Orphée): "L'espoir renaît dans mon âme"

Second act

Scene 1

  • Maestoso
  • Prelude
  • Choir (demons): "Quel est l'audacieux"
  • Air de furie
  • Choir (demons): "Quel est l'audacieux"
  • Solo and choir (Orphée, demons): "Laissez vous toucher"
  • Choir (demons): "Qui t'amène en ces lieux"
  • Aria (Orphée): “Ah! La flame qui me dévore "
  • Choir (demons): "Par quels puissants accords"
  • Aria (Orphée): "La tendresse qui me presse"
  • Choir (demons): "Quels chants doux et touchants!"
  • Air de Furies
    takeover from Don Juan, No. 15: Allegro non troppo

Scene 2

  • Ballet des Ombres heureuses - dance of blessed spirits
  • Air
    takeover from Paride ed Elena, Ballo (II)
  • Aria (Euridice, choir of blessed spirits, heroes and heroines): "Cet asile aimable",
    taken from Les amours de Flore et Zéphire, No. 3
  • Danse des Héros et Héroïnes

Scene 3

  • Recitative (Orphée): "Quel nouveau ciel"
  • Choir (blessed spirits): "Viens dans ce séjour paisible"
  • Danse [des ombres heureuses]
  • Recitative and choir (Orphée, blessed spirits): "O vous ombres"

Scene 4

  • Choir (blessed spirits): "Près du tendre objet qu'on aime"

Third act

Scene 1

  • Recitative (Orphée, Euridice): "Viens, viens, Euridice"
  • Duet (Orphée, Euridice): "Viens, suis un époux qui t'adore"
  • Recitative (Euridice): "Mais, d'où vient qu'il persiste"
  • Aria (Euridice): "Fortune ennemie"
  • Duet (Euridice, Orphée): "Je goûtais les charmes"
  • Aria (Euridice): "Fortune ennemie"
  • Recitative (Orphée, Euridice): "Quelle épreuve cruelle!"
  • Aria (Orphée): "J'ai perdu mon Euridice"
  • Recitative (Orphée): “Ah! Puisse ma douleur "

Scene 2

  • Trio (Euridice, Orphée, l'Amour): "Tendre Amour - Quels transports et quel délire" Adapted
    from Paride ed Elena, Trio "Ah, lo veggo"
  • Recitative (L'Amour, Orphée, Euridice): "Arrête, Orphée!"

Scene 3

  • Choir (Orphée, Euridice, l'Amour): "L'Amour triomphe"
  • Ballet: 1. Gracieux
  • Ballet: 2nd Gavotte
  • Ballet: 3rd Air vif
    taken from Cythère assiégée (Vienna 1759), Ouverture or Il trionfo di Clelia , No. 1: Overture (only Allegro movement)
  • Ballet: 4th menuet
    taken from Tetide, Sinfonia (3rd movement) or Il trionfo di Clelia, No. 1: overture ( menuet )
  • Ballet: 5th Maestoso
  • Ballet: 6. Très lentement
  • Ballet: 7th Chaconne
    partial takeover (bars 144–173) from Les amours d'Alexandre et de Roxane ( Chaconne ) or Iphigénie en Aulide , Appendix XVIII, Chaconne, divertissement after the third act (first printing Paris 1774, bars 56– 79 and 98-103)

Sheet music samples

The most important pieces of the opera include the funeral pantomime and choirs in the first act, the conjuring of the furies, the "dance of the blessed spirits" and Orpheus 'astonishment when entering the Elysium in the second act, as well as Orpheus' aria after the renewed loss of Eurydice in third act.

  • Orpheus interrupts the E-flat major lament of his friends at the beginning of the opera three times with the cry “Euridice!” (“Ah, se intorno a quest'urna funesta” / “Ah! Dans ce bois”, I: 1)
    {\ clef violin \ key es \ major \ time 2/2 \ tempo 4 = 80 \ set Score.tempoHideNote = ## t g'4 (^ \ markup {\ italic {Moderato}} g'2 c''4 c '' 8 b 'b'2 b'8 c' 'c''4 g'2 g'4 as'4. G'8 g'4}
  • In the Hade scene, the furies answer Orpheus' pleading chant several times with a clear “No” (“Deh placatevi con me” / “Laissez vous toucher”, II: 1) before he can change their mind.
    {\ clef violin \ key es \ major \ time 2/2 \ tempo 4 = 60 \ set Score.tempoHideNote = ## t \ autoBeamOff \ partial 2 \ tuplet 3/2 {b8 [d 'g']} \ tuplet 3 / 2 {b8 [d 'g']} \ tuplet 3/2 {c '[es' g']} \ tuplet 3/2 {c '[es' g']} \ tuplet 3/2 {c '[ f 'as']} \ tuplet 3/2 {c' [f 'as']} \ tuplet 3/2 {d' [f 'as']} \ tuplet 3/2 {d' [f 'as'] } \ tuplet 3/2 {d '[f' bes']} \ tuplet 3/2 {d '[f' bes']} \ tuplet 3/2 {es' [g 'bes']} \ tuplet 3 / 2 {es' [g 'bes']}}

    {r2 r4 g'8. bes'16 bes'4. g'16 bes' \ grace bes'8 as'4. g'16 f 'es'2 r}
  • At the transition into the Elysium, the "dance of the blessed spirits" sounds. Gluck extended this F major minuet in the Paris version to almost three times its length by adding a new D minor middle section with solo flute (II: 2).
    {\ clef violin \ key f \ major \ time 3/4 \ tempo 4 = 60 \ set Score.tempoHideNote = ## t c''4 ^ \ markup {\ italic {Lent très doux}} a'8 bes' c '' f '' f''2. (f''4) bes''8 a '' g '' a '' \ grace g''4 f''2 e''4}

    {\ clef violin \ key d \ minor \ time 3/4 \ tempo 4 = 60 \ set Score.tempoHideNote = ## t f''2 ^ \ markup {\ italic {Mème mouvement}} \ grace {e''16 f '' g ''} f''8. e''32 d '' d''4 cis '' r a''2 \ grace bes''8 a''4 bes''4 a '' r8}
  • Orpheus then celebrates the lovely nature of this place in one of the opera's most original arias (“Che puro ciel” / “Quel nouveau ciel”, II: 2) with the most sophisticated orchestration that Gluck ever created. In the original version of the Orfeo , an oboe melody is accompanied by gentle triplets from the strings, the solo cello and the flute, occasionally supported by the solo bassoon, horn and figured bass. For the Parma version of 1769 and even more for the Paris version of 1774, he simplified this piece.
    {\ clef violin \ key c \ major \ time 4/4 \ tempo 4 = 40 \ set Score.tempoHideNote = ## t \ autoBeamOff \ tuplet 3/2 {g16 [c 'd']} \ tuplet 3/2 { e '[d' c ']} \ tuplet 3/2 {g [c' d ']} \ tuplet 3/2 {e' [d 'c']} \ tuplet 3/2 {g [c 'd' ]} \ tuplet 3/2 {e '[d' c ']} \ tuplet 3/2 {g [c' d ']} \ tuplet 3/2 {e' [d 'c']} \ tuplet 3 / 2 {g16 [e 'f']} \ tuplet 3/2 {g '[f' e ']} \ tuplet 3/2 {g [e' f ']} \ tuplet 3/2 {g' [f ' e ']} \ tuplet 3/2 {g [e' f ']} \ tuplet 3/2 {g' [f 'e']} \ tuplet 3/2 {g [e 'f']} \ tuplet 3 / 2 {g '[f' e ']}}

    {\ clef violin \ key c \ major \ time 4/4 \ tempo 4 = 40 \ set Score.tempoHideNote = ## t r2 r8 g 'g' g '\ grace f'4 e' r r8 g'8 g ' c '' \ grace c''4 b 'r}
  • Orpheus' aria "Che farò senza Euridice" / "J'ai perdu mon Eurydice" (III: 1) is a lament in C major, which Gluck added an orchestral epilogue to the revision. Like the lament in the first act, it consists of three stanzas, which are here preceded by the exclamations “Euridice! Euridice! ”, There are separated from each other by recitative sections.
    {\ clef violin \ key c \ major \ time 2/2 \ tempo 4 = 90 \ set Score.tempoHideNote = ## t \ partial 4 e``8 f '' g''4. g''8 g''4 g''8 c '' 'c' '' 8 b '' b''2 c '' '8 g' '\ grace g''8 a''4. a''8 g''4 f '' f''4 e '' r}

    {\ clef violin \ key c \ major \ time 2/2 \ tempo 4 = 90 \ set Score.tempoHideNote = ## t \ partial 4 e'8 f 'g'4. g'8 g'4 c '' c''8 b 'b'4 r c''8 g' \ grace g'8 a'4. a'8 g'4 f '\ grace f'4 e' r}

Recordings

Orfeo ed Euridice has appeared many times on phonograms. Operadis lists 58 recordings of the Italian version between 1940 and 2009 and 23 recordings of the French version between 1935 and 2008. Therefore, only those recordings that have been particularly distinguished in specialist magazines, opera guides or the like or that are worth mentioning for other reasons are listed below.

Digital copies

Web links

Commons : Orfeo ed Euridice  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Ludwig Finscher: Orfeo ed Euridice / Orphée et Euridice. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater. Vol. 2. Works. Donizetti - Henze. Piper, Munich and Zurich 1987, ISBN 3-492-02412-2 , pp. 432-438.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Work information on the version from 1762 in the Gluck Complete Edition, accessed on May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ Information on works on Don Juan in the Gluck Complete Edition, accessed on May 27, 2020.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g Jeremy Hayes:  Orfeo ed Euridice [Orphée et Eurydice ('Orpheus and Eurydice')] (i). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
  5. ↑ a b c Orpheus and Eurydice (Orfeo ed Euridice). In: Rudolf Kloiber , Wulf Konold , Robert Maschka: Handbuch der Oper. 9th, expanded, revised edition 2002. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag / Bärenreiter, ISBN 3-423-32526-7 , pp. 194–196.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g Michael Stegemann : Orfeo ed Euridice / Orphée et Euridice. In: Attila Csampai , Dietmar Holland : Opera guide. E-book. Rombach, Freiburg im Breisgau 2015, ISBN 978-3-7930-6025-3 , pp. 148–152.
  7. ↑ a b c d e f Orfeo ed Euridice. In: Harenberg opera guide. 4th edition. Meyers Lexikonverlag, 2003, ISBN 3-411-76107-5 , pp. 287-289.
  8. ↑ a b c d e f Gabriele Buschmeier: 1762 - 1769 - 1774 - 1859. The versions of Gluck's Orpheus opera. In: [t] akte, 2/2014, pp. 4–6 ( online, PDF ).
  9. ↑ a b c d e f Work information on the version from 1774 in the Gluck Complete Edition, accessed on May 27, 2020.
  10. ↑ Orpheus and Eurydice. In: Gerhart von Westerman , Karl Schumann: Knaurs Opernführer. Droemersche Verlagsanstalt Th. Knaur Nachf., Munich 1957, 1969, ISBN 3-426-07216-5 , pp. 62-64.
  11. ↑ Discography on Orfeo ed Euridice at Operadis, accessed on May 25, 2020.
  12. ^ Discography on Orphée et Eurydice at Operadis, accessed on May 25, 2020.
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Christoph Willibald Gluck. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005.
  14. ↑ a b c d Richard Wigmore: Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice: which recording should you buy? In: Gramophone , October 5, 2015, accessed May 25, 2020.