Orfeo and Euridice - City Theatre Klagenfurt

In Italian with German surtitles

The myth of the Thracian singer Orpheus, who was able to touch not only humans and animals with his song but also made rocks and the gods of death weep, tells of the inseparable intertwining of love and music. After his wife Eurydice dies from the bite of a poisonous snake, Orpheus descends into the underworld to plead for a second life for Eurydice. With his music, he calms the spirits of hell, who grant Eurydice the return to the world of the living. However, on the way back up, the couple must pass one final test: Orpheus must not look back at Eurydice until they are back on the surface.

With "Orfeo ed Euridice," Ranieri de’ Calzabigi and Christoph Willibald Gluck created a new type of opera in 1762. The libretto tells the story straightforwardly, without intrigues, subplots, or detours, thus opening up space for the portrayal of the elemental human experience of love and loss. Gluck's congenial music is characterized by unembellished yet profoundly touching clarity, unfolding especially in the contrast between the eerie underworld and the lovely brilliance of Elysium into monumental monuments of love.

With this production, Carolin Pienkos and Cornelius Obonya, who have established themselves as a successful directing duo since their staging of "Die Fledermaus" at La Scala in Milan, make their debut in Klagenfurt.