February 7, 9(m), 12, 15, 2025
Winspear Opera House
Dallas, Texas – USA
Christoph Willibald GLUCK: Orpheus and Eurydice
Emmanuel Villaume, conductor; Joachim Schamberger, director & projection designer; Christoph Willibald Gluck, composer; Ranieri de’ Calzabigi, librettist. Cast: Hugh Cutting (Orpheus), Madison Leonard (Eurydice), Amber Norelai (Amore). Creative: Tommy Bourgeois, costume designer; Driscoll Otto, lighting designer; Paolo Bressan, chorus director; David Zimmerman, wig & makeup designer.
Gregory Sullivan Isaacs | 10 FEB 2025
This week, The Dallas Opera is producing a rarity: Orpheus and Eurydice, an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck on a libretto by Ranieri de’ Calzabigi. The opera is based on the myth of Orpheus, a musician who ventures into the underworld to bring back his true love to the world of the living.
The early Classical/late Baroque era opera premiered in October 1762 at the Burgtheater in Vienna. With this score, Gluck set out to reform the overblown operatic style of Opera Seria by simplifying convoluted plots, eliminating highly decorated repeats in the arias, and decluttering the score to bring the dramatic action to the fore. Thus, although still in three acts, they are short, and there isn’t a pause between them. His score is streamlined, and thus, the entire production only runs about 70 minutes.
The opera opens with Orpheus, overwhelmed by grief. His true love, Eurydice, has died. The spirit Amore (Cupid) takes pity on him and grants permission to go to the underworld and bring Eurydice back to the land of the living. His superb singing will earn him safe passage. However… he cannot look back at her or even say why he can’t until they return. She doesn’t understand and goads into just one backward glance. With that, Cupid’s magic vanishes and Eurydice is forever lost. However, Orpheus’ grief moves Amore to make an exception and the lovers are joyfully reunited. General rejoicing ensues.
But this is not exactly what happens in this production.
Director Joachim Schamberger brings the action into the present. While we are used to updated stagings, Schamberger adds a twist to the time. Eurydice is not really there, nor is she yet in the underworld. No, she is in a hellish netherworld of dementia.
Distorted images of memories (projected on huge multiple screens) crowd around her. She is angry, lost, and confused.
All that said, this production, now playing at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas by TDO, is terrific in all aspects. Few updatings work as well as this one did. Moving the time frame and changing the disease brings Gluck’s opera right into the lives of many of those in the audience. Because of that change, both protagonists are portrayed as being in the twilight of their lives.
The small cast of three was uniformly outstanding. Countertenor Hugh Cutting was magnificent as Orpheus. Cutting’s voice is a creamy mezzo-soprano with both ample power to fill the hall and the delicacy required to float a lovely phrase over the orchestra.
Countertenor Hugh Cutting and soprano Madison Leonard as Orpheus and Eurydice at The Dallas Opera. (credit: Kyle Flubacker)
As the confused Eurydice, Madison Leonard is an excellent match to Cutting, vocally and dramatically. However, with two similar and beautiful voices singing in the same range, there were times when it was difficult to differentiate between them.
As the spirit Amore, a perky Amber Norelai displayed a clever capacity for comedy. Her Party City feathered wings are too small, but at least they inform us that she is on the side of the angels.
Amber Norelai (right) in her Dallas Opera debut as Amore with soprano Madison Leonard as Eurydice in ‘Orpheus and Eurydice.’ (credit: Kyle Flubacker.)
The chorus, under the direction of Paolo Bressan, was positioned in the back of the orchestra pit. Perhaps this is why they lacked the precision they achieved in the past under retiring chorus master Alexander Rom. The sound was still rich and focused, but being integral to the action at times, they were missed on the stage.
Since this production uses projections for the set and also for glimpses into Eurydice’s jumbled mental state, huge panels of scrim were in constant motion. In the opening sequence, Orpheus was showing his ailing wife slides of their past life together and the images would occasionally reappear in her nightmarish visions. Near the end, in a clever effect, Amore was able to go in and out of the projected images.
Music director Emmanuel Villaume delivered a superb performance. His conducting style was, as usual, controlled and precise, without even a hint of extravagance. The orchestra responded with sensitivity to his every move, so ensemble was excellent (even though he gave them room for personal expression). His special affinity for recitativo accompagnato (storytelling by the use of out-of-tempo singing with orchestral accompaniment) was on full display. The orchestral sound was rich, with excellent depth, precision, and precise intonation throughout.
Operas from this era are sadly lacking on modern-day stages, crowed out by repeats of the big and lush romantic operas, as well as some new ones (but only if they fit that profile). Hooray to TDO for mounting this important opera.
The audience loved it (probably much to their surprise). ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- The Dallas Opera: dallasopera.org
- Emmanuel Villaume: emmanuelvillaume.com
- Joachim Schamberger: joachimschamberger.com
- Hugh Cutting: hughcutting.com
- Madison Leonard: madison-leonard.com
- Amber Norelai: l2artists.com/amber-norelai
Read more by Gregory Sullivan Isaacs.
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