Nicholas Scott performs at the Opéra National du Rhin in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo
TUESDAY 3rd and WEDNESDAY 4th May, 2022 @ 8:00PM
OPERA NATIONAL DU RHIN: STRASBOURG OPERA & LA FILATURE, MULHOUSE
Nicholas Scott will appear in the roles of Shepherd 1, Spirit 3 and Echo in Monteverdi’s musical telling of the Greek tragedy L’Orfeo.
Leonardo García Alarcón conducts the Capella Mediterranea ensemble in this production, which is performed at both the opera house in Strasbourg and La Filature in Mulhouse.
A Synopsis…
Orpheus is a solitary musician who plays so beautifully that he is able to tame wild animals and charm all living things. After years of wandering alone, Orpheus finds love in the arms of Euridice, turning his painful laments into songs of joy, but his contentment is short-lived when he learns of his wife's sudden death.
He resolves to visit the underworld to bring her back. Armed with just his lyre, he soothes the ferryman Caronte to sleep and crosses the river Styx. His melodious laments deeply affect Prosperina who petitions her husband Plutone to ease his pain. Plutone agrees to break the laws of destiny and allows Euridice's shadow to follow Orpheus, on condition that Orpheus must never look back or else be condemned to eternal loss. Moments from entering the world of the living however, Orpheus is gripped by doubt: what if Euridice is not following him?
Celebrating the enchanting power of music, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo composed in the early 17th century is the first major masterpiece in the history of opera, a new musical genre with a bright future.