Orfeo ed Euridice

Christoph Willibald Gluck's "Azione teatrale" *Orfeo ed Euridice*, which was first performed in 1762 at the Vienna Burgtheater, is rightly considered the quintessential example of a "reform opera" that holds a significant place in European operatic history. Seven years after its premiere in Vienna, the work was presented in Parma, in a revised version by Gluck himself, divided into seven scenes and performed in a single act. The occasion was the wedding of Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria with Ferdinand of Bourbon-Parma, which took place in the summer of 1769, and for which the work was performed and met with great acclaim. Cecilia Bartoli has now, in collaboration with Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco and their musical director Gianluca Capuano, recreated this "Parma version" in a semi-staged performance. The story of the mythical singer Orpheus, who overcomes all obstacles to descend into the underworld in order to find and bring back his beloved Eurydice to the world of the living, which has been a constant presence in opera since its inception, is brought to life on stage with compelling dramatic truth, accompanied by music of great expressive power and intensity.