Name: Orfeo ed Euridice
Start: 1996-08-16T00:00:00.000Z
End: 1996-08-20T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Organization

Edinburgh International Festival

Conductor

Christopher Hogwood

Stage director

Mark Morris

Countertenor

Michael Chance

Orfeo

Soprano

Dana Hanchard

Euridice

Christine Brandes

Amor

Set designer

Adrianne Lobel

Costume designer

Martin Pakledinaz

Choreographer

Others

Handel and Haydn Society Chorus

Orchestra

Handel and Haydn Society Period Instrument Orchestra

Mark Morris Dance Group

Orfeo ed Euridice -  (Orpheus and Eurydice)

Edinburgh

United Kingdom

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Orfeo ed Euridice

Public

Private

Orpheus and Eurydice

Approved

Bass

Instrumentalist

Pianist

Violinist

Cellist

Violist

Flutist

Clarinetist

Guitarist

Organist

Percussionist

hornist

Oboist

Bassoonist

Trumpeter

Contrabassist

Trombonist

Harper

Saxophonist

Harpsichordist

Accordionist

Bassist

Tuba Player

Recorder Player

Lutenist

Tenor Violinist

Timpani

Mandoline Player

Baroque Flutist

Baroque Oboist

Baroque Trumpetist

Violino Piccolo Player

Viola da gamba

Musette de cour Player

Viola Pomposa Player

Archlutenist

Vibraphonist

Cornettist

Viola d’amore Player

Theorbist

Composer

Librettist

Lighting designer

Dancer

Actor

Chorus master

Video designer

Dramaturge

Translator

Sound designer

Repetiteur

Makeup artist

Executive producer

Hairstylist

Other

Stage Manager

Choir

Poet

Vocal coach

Teacher

Photographer

Broadcasting

Writer

Writing and performance

Chorus Director

Wig & Makeup Designer

Orchestra Operations

Illustrator

Extra

Bass-baritone

Singer

Mezzo-soprano

Baritone

Contralto

Tenor

Spoken

Child vocalist

Silent

Alto

Continuo

The 1996 Festival saw an interesting experiment in the staging of Gluck operas. Two were provided, Orfeo ed Euridice and Iphigénie en Tauride. Both contained much to enjoy musically, but the effect on the drama was somewhat mixed. This was simply because both stagings relied on dance to an extent far greater than envisaged by the composer. Indeed for Iphigénie, the singers were banished to the stage boxes, reducing their impact to allow for Pina Bausch's choreography.

The other operatic events of this Festival were the eagerly awaited world premiere of James MacMillan's Inés de Castro, a rare appearance for Virgil Thomson's Four Saints in Three Acts, and a somewhat superfluous concert performance of Fidelio. The concert ptogramme also included a superb cast in Mendelssohn's Elijah.

Mark Morris, with his wonderful company of dancers, was, for a number of years, a hugely admired and popular visitor to Edinburgh, and not just at Festival-time. He had a recognised talent for producing dance-based interpretations of baroque works, most notably Handel's L'Allegro, Il penseroso ed Il moderato and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. This Orfeo did not quite reach that standard, being rather too fidgety for some tastes. The chorus impact was reduced, as they stood to the side of the stage, in formal concert dress.

However there was a great deal to enjoy, with excellent singing (and involved acting) from the three principals. The wonderful musicians of the venerable Handel & Haydn Society of Boston, Massachusetts, were beautifully directed by Christopher Hogwood, in what was his only operatic appearance in Scotland.

English

Orpheus and Eurydice by Gluck, From (1996/1996), Directed by Mark Morris,, Conductor Christopher Hogwood, Festival Theatre Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Co-Producer

Programme, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues