Seldom has a work changed the language of music like Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice, which had its premiere at the Burgtheater in Vienna in 1762. In a stroke, it ended the dominance of the old opera seria, which dated back to the early part of Handel's career, and gave opera a natural language to match that of the visual arts of the era. Heard here in this beautifully recorded live performance from 2018 in London is that 1762 version, with just one selection from Gluck's later recasting of the opera for Paris. It's a ...
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Seldom has a work changed the language of music like Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice, which had its premiere at the Burgtheater in Vienna in 1762. In a stroke, it ended the dominance of the old opera seria, which dated back to the early part of Handel's career, and gave opera a natural language to match that of the visual arts of the era. Heard here in this beautifully recorded live performance from 2018 in London is that 1762 version, with just one selection from Gluck's later recasting of the opera for Paris. It's a wonderful reading, with a feeling of the work coming alive. The early music group La Nuova Musica and leader David Bates keep things moving; the entire opera fits on a single CD. However, each detail is carefully considered and vivid. Sample the beginning of Act II, with the chorus warning of the furies of hell and Orfeo entering with his famous lyre. Orfeo is a plum countertenor role, but the sheer beauty of Iestyn Davies' performance here ranks among the greats, and he's ably backed by...
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Add this copy of Gluck: Orfeo Ed Euridice to cart. $34.86, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2019 by Pentatone.
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