|
Steely Force
A devastatingly fresh take on 'Orfeo ed Eurydice',
admired by MIKE WHEELER
For such a central figure in operatic history, the tercentenary of Gluck's birth is turning out to be a surprisingly low-key affair. So three cheers to the Buxton Festival for this production of Orfeo ed Euridice (Buxton Opera House, Buxton, UK, 13 July 2014).
And three cheers to director Stephen Medcalf for a staging that may annoy some traditionalists but gets straight to the psychological heart of the matter, to powerfully moving effect — and for sticking to the original 1762 score, with a counter-tenor Orfeo.
In Frances O'Connor's bare black- and silver-walled set, large letter-blocks spelling ORFEO prove endlessly re-configurable as scenes change...
Copyright © 17 July 2014
Mike Wheeler,
Derby UK
|
