Les Arts delves into the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with Robert Carsen and Gianluca Capuano

Les Arts és Ópera

• Carlo Vistoli, considered one of the best countertenors of the moment, makes his debut in Valencia with this masterpiece, never before seen in the theater's repertoire.
• Les Arts will perform Gluck's 'Orfeo ed Euridice' on March 3, 5, 7 and 9 in the Main Hall

Valencia (February 20, 2024). The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía delves into the myth of Orpheus and the operatic universe of Christoph Willibald Gluck with 'Orfeo ed Euridice', which will be performed in the Main Hall from March 3 to 9, in a stage production by Robert Carsen, with Gianluca Capuano conducting.

The artistic director of Les Arts, Jesús Iglesias Noriega, presented this title today, accompanied by the musical director, Gianluca Capuano, the assistant stage director, Christophe Gayral, and the countertenor Carlo Vistoli (Orfeo).

As Iglesias Noriega has pointed out, with 'Orfeo ed Euridice', Les Arts incorporates into its repertoire one of the essential works in the history of music and, therefore, in the programming of major theaters.

“A masterpiece that also brings together all the elements to be fascinated by the operatic genre: a universal story that appeals to the most genuine feelings of the human being, in an intense and breathtaking dramatic exercise of 90 minutes, with sublime music, of immense beauty, and one of the best known arias in the repertoire: 'Che farò senza Euridice'.

Artistically, Les Arts presents 'Orfeo ed Euridice' with unbeatable artistic elements: “The Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Cor de la Generalitat, which assumes an absolutely leading role musically and acting-wise; an exceptional cast, with Carlo Vistoli, one of the countertenors of the moment; Gianluca Capuano, a reference maestro in this repertoire; and Robert Carsen, an essential name on the international stage”

Gianluca Capuano, who made his debut in the Main Hall with Cecilia Bartoli and the ensemble Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco, returns to this production by Robert Carsen and Carlo Vistoli after its successful run at the Rome Opera. Capuano, who recently conducted this work in Salzburg, has emphasized the importance of 'Orfeo ed Euridice', with which the German composer reaffirms his reform of the operatic genre.

“Gluck rebels against the conventions of Metastasio’s opera, in which singers dominated the stage with long, virtuosic arias. He radically eliminates all of this and advocates for the centrality of drama and text, as well as close collaboration between librettist and composer to achieve that dramatic power, which has an immediate response on stage to the music we hear.”

Robert Carsen, following his acclaimed production of 'Elektra', presents another of his striking stagings in Valencia. As the Canadian director explains, “'Orpheus and Eurydice' is a very intense story because everything is reduced to the essentials: life, death, and love. Our human condition compels us to come into this life to love and to lose. Our DNA isn't equipped to understand it, but art can help us to do so.”

To achieve this, Carsen proposes a minimalist staging, without any specific time frame, which places the music and singing at the center of the stage, with the set design by Tobias Hoheisel, which recreates an impressive bare landscape, powerfully set by the lighting of Carsen and Peter van Praet and the black “mourning” costumes, also by Hoheisel.

Hailed as one of the world's finest countertenors, Carlo Vistoli (Orfeo) burst onto the international scene in 2015 with William Christie's Le Jardin de Voix at Les Arts Florissants. Since then, he has embarked on an impressive career, collaborating with John Elliot Gardiner, Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky, and Jean-Christoph Spinosi, among others.

Sopranos Francesca Aspromonte (Euridice) and Elena Galitskaya (Amore) complete the cast of the production.

Les Arts has scheduled four performances of this opera on March 3, 5, 7, and 9. 'Orfeo ed Euridice' is a co-production of the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Canadian Opera Company, the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, and the Opéra Royal de Versailles.