大象传媒

Sarah Lenton for Building a Library comes up with a personal recommendation for Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld from among available versions.

The starting point for Jacques Offenbach's 1858 op茅ra bouffe Orph茅e aux enfers is classical Greek myth. But tragedy it ain't. Here, instead, is a cheeky parody of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, the tragic pair a married couple grown sick of the sight of each other. So when Pluto lures Eurydice to his underworld both she and Orpheus are equally pleased. But, much to Orpheus' displeasure, Public Opinion demands Eurydice be rescued. And so she is, the opera ending with a bacchanal including a 'galop infernal' or Can-Can, one of the work's many earworm moments.

Top recommendation:

Natalie Dessay (Euridice), Yann Beuron (Orphee), Jean-Paul Fouchecourt (Pluton/Aristee), Laurent Naouri (Jupiter), Martine Olmeda (L'Opinion Publique), Orchestra and Chorus of The Opera National de Lyon, Marc Minkowski (conductor) (conductor), Laurent Pelly (director)
ARTHAUS MUSIK 107105 (DVD)

Other recordings:

Below is a shortlist of other recordings which Sarah Lenton also liked, although we can鈥檛 guarantee the availability of these discs.

Natalie Dessay (Euridice), Yann Beuron (Orphee), Jean-Paul Fouchecourt (Pluton/Aristee), Laurent Naouri (Jupiter), Martine Olmeda (L'Opinion Publique), Orchestra and Chorus of The Opera National de Lyon, Marc Minkowski (conductor) WARNER CLASSICS 5567252 (CD)
N.B. This CD is the same production, but a different recording to the above DVD choice.

Claudine Collart (Euridice), Jean Mollien (Orphee), Andre Dran (Pluton/Aristee), Bernard Demigny (Jupiter), Violette Journeaux (L鈥橭pinion Publique), Paris Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, Rene Leibowitz (conductor)
REGIS RRC2063

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