Skillfully Adapted
Gluck's 'Orfeo e
Euridice' in Palermo,
in the Berlioz version,
experienced by GIUSEPPE PENNISI
in the Berlioz version,
experienced by GIUSEPPE PENNISI
A few months ago, on the occasion of a production of Orfeo e Euridice at the Maggio
Musicale Fiorentino, I discussed the two different operas composed by Christoph W Gluck for Vienna in 1762 (in Italian) and for Paris in 1774 (in a French translation and adaptation) (Orpheus versus Orpheus, 14 June 2014). There are at least two other versions of Gluck's Orpheus, which is the only eighteenth century opera to survive in the repertory, in spite of the changes in taste and style of the nineteenth and twentieth century. There is a
revision provided by nobody less than Hector Berlioz for the Parisian Théâtre Lyrique in 1859 (in
French, to suit the musical costumes and habits of the French
Second Empire) and an 1889 edition published in Italian by Ricordi where
all the previous versions were somehow merged. Whereas until the 1960s the
Ricordi edition was that normally staged, in recent times, theater managers and
artistic directors have tended to
revert to Gluck's two original versions. A few important directors consider the Berlioz edition the best: for
instance, nearly a quarter of a century ago, John Eliot Gardiner recorded the Berlioz version on a fabulous CD with Anne
Sofie von Otter, Barbara Hendrick and Brigitte Fournier. Other attempts to
revive Berlioz's work on Gluck have not fared that well; eg some ten years ago,
there was a production by the three Alagna brothers, with many interpolations.
 Andra Mocciardini as Orphée noir, Marianna Pizzolato as Orphée and Christian Novopavlovski as Orphée blanc in the Berlioz version of Gluck's Orfeo e Euridice' at Teatro Massimo di Palermo. Photo © 2015 Rosellina Garbo. Click on the image for higher resolution |
Palermo's Teatro Massimo has brought this
Berlioz version to Italy. To the best of my memory, this is the first time this has been performed in
Italy. I was at a charity preview on 18 February 2015 and appreciated how Berlioz skillfully adapted the
1762 and 1774 scores by keeping the initial basic architecture but
expanding the orchestration and chorus to give a Romantic flavor to an essentially
quite classical and very terse work in which
Gluck made a revolution in eighteenth century opera. The core of this revolution was the full integration of all
the elements into one single dramatic action. Berlioz modified the vocal part slightly: Orphée is
a mezzo, not a countertenor as conceived by Gluck in a
century when castrati were a main opera house attraction.
 Christian Novopavlovski as Orphée blanc and Marianna Pizzolato as Orphée in the Berlioz version of Gluck's Orfeo e Euridice' at Teatro Massimo di Palermo. Photo © 2015 Rosellina Garbo. Click on the image for higher resolution |
The production is a joint venture of the Teatro Massimo di Palermo with
Marseilles Ballet and the St Etienne Opera House; it is expected to tour widely in Europe. As Berlioz moved the action to the Second Empire
(and Gluck staged it in eighteenth century costumes and sets), the stage director and choreographer
Frédéric Flamand, along with the sets, projections and costumes by Hans Op de
Beeck, set the plot in a periphery or banlieue of a major town. In contrast, the Elysium is a natural reserve close to the urban
area. This 'actualization' works mostly due to the real magnificent ballet that
doubles the main singing characters and has a specific role on
each musical passage. It also fits the large stage of Teatro Massimo.
 Mariangela Sicilia as Eurydice and Valentina Pace as Eurydice in the Berlioz version of Gluck's Orfeo e Euridice' at Teatro Massimo di Palermo. Photo © 2015 Rosellina Garbo. Click on the image for higher resolution |
The singers are all rather young. Marianna Pizzolato is a powerful Orphée and Mariangela Sicilia
a sweet Eurydice. Their singing has a lot of Romantic premonitions, whereas Aurora
Faggioli (Love) is a classical counterpoint.
 Valentina Pace as Eurydice in the Berlioz version of Gluck's Orfeo e Euridice' at Teatro Massimo di Palermo. Photo © 2015 Rosellina Garbo. Click on the image for higher resolution |
Any snags? French is a very hard language to sing and the diction leaves quite a bit to be
desired. Also, on 18 February, Giuseppe Grazioli's conducting was quite dull.
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