L'Orfeo, the hapless shepherd: Opera Matinee 11 May

[doversoul1]

Monteverdi 450 - Katie Derham introduces Monteverdi's opera L'Orfeo, the earliest complete opera that survives to our day, based on an ancient Greek fable. This Baroque jewel is conducted by Ottavio Dantone at the helm of the Lausane Chamber Orchestra and Opera Chorus, with Fernando Guimaraes in the title role as the hapless shepherd who fails to bring his dead lover Euridice, sung by Federica Di Trapani, back from the underworld, only to be rescued at the end by the Gods.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08p4ttl

This isn’t exactly how I think I know/think of the work (including it being a Baroque jewel). I wonder if this is specially written to suit the presenter…

[doversoul1]

2.00pm this afternoon.

Whatever the blurb tells us, the music should be good. Apart form the conductor, the performers are not familiar to me but it will be good to hear it before this week's BaL.

P.S. the presenter has been changed since the programme information first appeared.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

P.S. the presenter has been changed since the programme information first appeared.

. . . though the BBC still insists on displaying a picture of the presenter, rather than one of Monteverdi, or a scene from the opera, or the main characters, or a theatre of the opera's time.

Plus it isn't the "earliest surviving opera". That accolade goes to Euridice by Jacopo Peri


But I shall be listening to this.

[gurnemanz]

. . . though the BBC still insists on displaying a picture of the presenter, rather than one of Monteverdi, or a scene from the opera, or the main characters, or a theatre of the opera's time.

Plus it isn't the "earliest surviving opera". That accolade goes to Euridice by Jacopo Peri


But I shall be listening to this.

There is a picture gallery of the staging on the website of Opéra de Lausanne. link

[doversoul1]

There is a picture gallery of the staging on the website of Opéra de Lausanne. link

Thank you for the link to the production. I am almost convinced that this music does not deserved to be staged but this production looks as if it is not attempting to make something ‘contemporary’ out of the story which is more to my idea (liking).

As for the broadcast, to begin with, what an enormous difference it makes when a programme is presented by a presenter who knows the work and well prepared.

I thought the performance was very good. It sounded somewhat square compared to, say, Jordi Savall’s production but it felt very dependent and enjoyable to listen to.

If anybody is interested in, here is the libretto with an English translation.
file:///C:/Users/Owner/Documents/Music/L'Orfeo.pdf
(I don't know why this link doesn't work here)

Now I am looking forward to hearing tomorrow’s BaL.