ORPHÉE ET EURYDICE: Gluck, 1762 arr. Berlioz, 1859. The classic Orpheus myth in its most famous re-telling. Original commission from English National Opera. This is a version based on Berlioz’s adaptation for a mezzo-soprano in the title rôle, which is in turn derived both from Gluck’s original and his subsequent French-language revision. There are two versions of Orpheus’ lament, based respectively on the French and Italian texts.
