L’Orfeo

Claudio Giovanni Monteverdi (Cremona, christened on 15 May 1567 – Venice, 29 November 1643) marked the transition between polyphonic and madrigal traditions in the 16th Century and the birth of lyric drama and opera in the 17th Century. He is the most important figure in the transition between Renaissance and Baroque music.

Monteverdi composed the opera Orfeo, based on a poem by Alessandro Striggio for the Carnival in Mantua. It was first performed at the Accademia degl’Invaghiti in Mantua in February 1607 and on 24 February of that same year at Mantua’s court theatre.

Orpheus is the ultimate symbol of the artistic condition, bringing hope and courage to wounded souls. This favola in musica (story in music) is a masterpiece of the nascent genre of opera, telling us the story of Orpheus who loses Eurydice after saving her from hell. It also expresses the magical power of music and its capacity to elevate the world surrounding us and fill it with peace.

The poet, music, and prophet battles against weakness, in a darkened world, constantly threatened by death. He tries to achieve the impossible feat of turning on its head the one certainty of humanity, which is the invincible frontier between life and death. In the underworld, Orpheus tries to face up to his fears, believing that by fighting he can recover his late beloved Euridices, who represents a brief moment of happiness. The beginning seems liberating, but his journey through the underworld brings Orpheus’ fears back to him, along with his solitary existence as an artist facing the human condition.

Produced by Teatro Arriaga