Zanetto by Mascagni, Orpheus and Eurydice by Gluck, Fri 13 Aug 2021, From (2021/2021), Directed by Lysanne van Overbeek, Conductor Lesley-Anne Sammons, Arcola Theatre, London, United Kingdom

Barefoot opera, well known for its fresh and lively performances of opera classics, presents a unique evening, combining a well-loved opera favourite with an operatic rarity that share a common theme: our search for love and inspiration in a dangerous world. Gluck’s famous opera Orfeo ed Euridice, featuring one of the world’s most loved arias, “Che faro senza Euridice,” retells the classic Greek tale of the poet Orpheus and his journey to the underworld to find and return his one true love. Barefoot Opera condenses and intensifies Gluck’s score in order to create one powerful act. The second part of the evening features Zanetto, by Puccini’s contemporary Mascagni, (Cavalleria Rusticana). Silvia, a rich and beautiful courtesan who both finds and renounces true love, strongly resembles her operatic cousin Violetta from La Traviata by Verdi and shares a similar fate.