Gluck - Orfeo Ed Euridice - Glyndebourne Opera

Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice / Baker, Speiser, Gale, Leppard, Glyndebourne Opera (DVD)
London Philharmonic

This is the opera adaptation of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, as described by Ovid in the Metamorphoses. Preceded by Moteverdi's La Favola di Orfeo and by several other reinterpretations of the same myth, Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck is considered by some as the first opera in the modern sense. It is the oldest opera in the standard repertoire, its first performance dating back to 1762.
The story - although lacking many of the original details - is reasonably accurate. Having lost his wife Eurydice to a snake bite, Orpheus is allowed by the gods to descend into Hades and bring her back. As in many life situations (in this case, "beyond life situations"), there is a condition for the mission to be completed successfully: he should never look directly at his wife until they are back into the world of the living. Unfortunately Orpheus does look at her and this is where the Greek myth and the opera diverge. Orpheus loses his wife forever, in the myth. He is allowed to go on living with her, in the opera. In fact, the final scene, set in the temple of Amore, consists of solos, choruses and dances in praise of love and of the couple whose love was sufficiently strong to defeat all obstacles, including death.

DVD
4:3
NTSC
Dolby 2