Christoph Willibald Gluck - Orphee et Eurydice (1774 tenor version in French) - No. 1. The Mourning of Eurydice (Richard Croft, Mireille Delunsch, Marion Harousseau & Claire Delgado-Boge; Marc Minkowski)
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- Duration: 10:19
- Published: 10 Jan 2009
- Uploaded: 06 Aug 2011
- Author: LindoroRossini
- http://wn.com/Christoph_Willibald_Gluck__Orphee_et_Eurydice_1774_tenor_version_in_French__No_1_The_Mourning_of_Eurydice_Richard_Croft,_Mireille_Delunsch,_Marion_Harousseau_Claire_Delgado-Boge;_Marc_Minkowski
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Though originally set to an Italian libretto, "Orfeo ed Euridice", Gluck's first step in his reform of the operatic form, owes much to the genre of French opera, particularly in its' extensive use of accompanied recitative and a general absence of vocal virtuosity. In fact, it is generally supposed that Gluck frankly took Rameau's "Castor et Pollux" as his model when he sat down to compose "Orfeo": indeed, the plot of the earlier work has much in common with that of "Orfeo". Therefore, it seems quite fitting that twelve years after the 1762 premiere of the original work, in 1774, Gluck presented his work to the Parisian public, readapting it, in the process. This reworking was given the title "Orphee et Eurydice" which is the version of this ever well-known piece that I want to present in this series of uploads. The changes, though seemingly insignificant, are actually essential to the work's inner equilibrium. First off, the libretto is given a French translation which does shift some of the accents. Next, and more importantly, the work is greatly expanded, including the addition of a bravura, coloratura-filled aria for Orfeo at the close of Act 1, a more elaborate dance of the blessed spirits and an aria for Eurydice during the Elysium scene; the transformation of the B section of Eurydice's second aria into an intense duettino for the lovers; a penultimate terzet for all three characters and a large ballet for the end of the opera; thus, the work's original omissions <b>...</b>