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13 gennaio 2007

Orfeo ed Euridice

"Orfeo ed Euridice" by Gluck (performance 1 of 10 in 5 different cities) was performed this evening in the Ravenna Theatre, "Dante Alighieri".

1% of inspiration and 99% perspiration allowed me to partecipate preparing this event. I will be in Pisa next february for the last two performances.



Going to the opera (and a fortiori performing) is emotionally moving. In this opera I enjoyed expecially the direction by Graham Vick. I am pretty sure that tomorrow the newspaper will praise the modern and stylish direction, the dancing chorus and the very dynamic scenes. People like sweat, and I can assure you this evening their craving was satisfied.



But IMHO, the cream is in the less dynamic scenes; let me tell some examples:



Act 1 (ending): Orpheus lost Eurydice for the first time. A mourning chorus left slowly the scene, when someone tries to take away the tumbled chair near Orpheus (we've seen dead Eurydice before laying in this chair). A distressed Orpheus grabs the chair, and the other left shaking his head in misery (thanks, Sergio: yes, it does works great).



Act 2 (hell): as stated by the director, the tableau brings life from the Sartre idea: "L'enfer est les autres". Hell is others.

a) An actress tries to put three chairs in a row, and another actress ruins the order every time the work of the first one is almost done. You feel the anxiety, and the sense of unfulfillment.

b) An actor reads the newspaper in a very rude manner on a sofa, while an actress pushes him not gently at all to swap tv channels with a remote.

c) An actress pretends to be sick, and another one pretends to take care of her. When the nurse tries to left the bed, the other suddenly catches her ("Misery").



Not enough hell? You deserve demons and forks.



The music is a masterpiece. The libretto is not so good, but in the 18th century was impossible to write a libretto without happy ending. Yes, Orpheus looks at Eurydice and lost her... forever? No, because Love settles everything, and they lived happily ever after.

I do prefer much more the sad version, in which Orpheus losts Eurydice forever.



Teatro di tradizione Dante Alighieri - GLI SPETTACOLI



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