A husband laments the death of his wife. He follows her to the underworld and finds her there. But he is forbidden to look at her. He does it anyway! Has he now lost her forever? Or will the gods' hearts be moved by this loving, "human" glance? In 1762, Gluck put the quietus on the artificiality of baroque opera with this work - from then on the human element took center stage.
Right on time for the 2004 Opera Festival, Farao classics released the thrilling production of Gluck's reform opera Orphée et Eurydice in the version by Hector Berlioz on DVD in this company's familiar high quality.
Public and press alike enthusiastically hailed Vesselina Kasarovas début in this role as Orphée and went overboard with superlatives: "…an ideal role…" (NZZ), "…Vesselina Kasarova is the very embodiment of Orphée… (Opernwelt), and many more.
Product information: DVD-Video-Production in Cooperation with ZDF and arte Sound formats: PCM Stereo, 5.0 dts Surround Menue: German, English Subtitles: German, English, French, Japanese Picture format: 16:9, NTSC Region Code: 0 (all regions)
Press review
Fanfare
This Farao DVD is absolutely indispensable because it is in my experience the very finest musical
performance of Gluck's essential masterwork in any of its myriad manifestations... How a musical
performance of such supreme depth and spirituality... By what powers of concentration does Vesselina
Kasarova sing... The unworldly beauty of her deep and powerful voice in this music must be
heard to be believed, and in her moving interpretation of the tragic poet, she is Orpheus incarnate.