Reviewed by James Karas
The Canadian Opera Company shied away from Gluck’s masterpiece Orfeo ed Euridice until 2011 but when it first produced it, the COC hit paydirt. The source was Robert Carsen’s dark and gloomy vision of the opera that proved emotionally captivating and intense. It was a co-production with four other opera companies including the Lyric Opera of Chicago and it proved stunningly successful. Fourteen years later, the COC has mounted an equally successful revival of the production with Revival Director Christophe Gayral.
When the performance begins, we see an expanse of dark earth covering the stage of the Four Seasons Centre. The sky at the back is gloomy and darkness is the dominant feature. There is a mound of earth beside an open grave and we hear the somber, funereal singing of the chorus. They are supposed to be shepherds and nymphs but they are all dressed in black and we can’t really see them in the darkness.
They are mourning the death of Euridice (soprano Anna-Sophie Neher), the beautiful, young wife of Orfeo. Euridice’s corpse is lowered into the tomb. Some dirt is shoveled in it. The grief-stricken Orfeo (Iestyn Davies) appears, the chorus leaves and it his turn to express his deeply-felt anguish. He asks for the intercession of the gods and eventually resolves to seek her in the underworld. Countertenor Iestyn Davies expresses his tumultuous emotions with heart-rending poignancy and sonority.
Lights are placed around the grave by members of the chorus and the funeral gains tragic dimensions and somber beauty.
Amore (Catherine St-Arnaud), the god of love, takes pity on Orfeo and agrees to send him to Hades to recover Euridice but subject to some strict conditions. St-Arnaud does not have a big voice and for a moment was almost overwhelmed by the orchestra but balance was restored and she gave a marvelous performance.
In the second act, Orfeo has reached the underworld where we see the stage covered with beings covered by sheets that resemble burial shrouds. They are the Furies, the guardians of Hades who do not allow living beings to enter. Orfeo convinces them with the depth of his sorrow to permit him to pass to Elysium, (think of it as the nice part of hell) to claim his Euridice.
The chorus has become a chorus of heroes and Orfeo meets Euridice but he
cannot look at her until they come back to earth. Elysium is a place of beauty
but Carsen will not allow the gloomy atmosphere to change. The rest of the
journey is unbearable as Euridice fears that Orfeo no longer loves her and they
reach the breaking point when she is not sure that she wants to return to
earth, He can no longer endure her doubts and looks at her. She dies.
We have reached the climax of pain and grief and there is nothing left for Orfeo but to commit suicide. He sings the extraordinary aria “Che faro senza Euridice” (What will I do without Euridice.) But love conquers all and the god of love intercedes again and Orfeo and Euridice are united, the lights shine, the nymphs and shepherds still dressed funereally celebrate and they all live happily ever after.
Iestyn Davies occupies the niche of a countertenor voice that has relatively few singers. He has a big, beautifully calibrated voice that can express the anguish, the resolution and the temporary joy of Orfeo to perfection. The COC Chorus is superb in its rendition of its several representations of singing that it delivers.
There are many ways of producing Orfeo ed Euridice and Carsen has chosen his own way, emphasizing the dark and solemn aspects. He designed the gloomy lighting with Peter Van Praet, and Tobias Hoheisel designed the sets and costumes. The rest was up to the singers and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Chorus to deliver the extraordinary beauty and emotional power of a great opera.
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Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck opened on October 9 and will be performed seven times on various dates until October 25, 2025, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. West,
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