Language: Italian
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish

Created at the Ducal Palace in Mantua in 1607, L’Orfeo de Monteverdi is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world.

"L'Orfeo" is a musical fable which takes up the myth of Orpheus: the son of Apollo has just married the beautiful Eurydice when he learns of his death. In an attempt to retrieve her, he descends into the underworld but fails to bring her back to the living as he turns to see her behind him, not respecting the arrangement made with the gods. But Monteverdi’s work has a happy ending, as the two lovers eventually ascend to heaven together.

Monteverdi's first opera is an extension of the Madrigals and has now become one of the essentials of the lyrical repertoire. It marks a turning point in the history of music and symbolizes the border between the Renaissance and the Baroque period. With this opera, Monteverdi becomes, if not the first, at least one of the main creators of a new form: the dramma per musica or theatrical action in music. Monteverdi’s Orfeo is reputed to be the first opera in history! Alessandro Striggio's libretto is based on the myth of Orpheus as told in Ovid's Metamorphoses and certain passages from Virgil's Georgics.

Director: Sir John Eliot Gardiner (Music Director)
Cast: Orfeo: Krystian Adam, La Musica / Euridice: Hana Blažíková, Messaggera: Lucile Richardot, Ninfa: Anna Dennis, Speranza Kangmin: Justin Kim, Pastore I: Francisco Fernandez Rueda, Pastore II / Spirito II / Echo: Gareth Traseder, Pastore III: Michal Czerniawski, Caronte / Plutone: Gianluca Buratto, Proserpina: Francesca Boncompagni, Spirito I: Peter Davoren, Apollo: Furio Zanasi, The Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists