To get the most from this opera you need to know the Orpheus legend. Check out the main themes – incomparable musical ability, true fidelity, resilient and determined heroism and the tragedy of overwhelming love.
All these worthy ideals had been set to music first by Monteverdi and most recently, by Gluck (1752). Serious about the messages in the myth, Gluck wrote it beautiful music – most familiar is ‘J'ai perdu mon Eurydice’ – sung here by tenor Juan Diego Florez. (O no, not another tenor competition! OK, here’s a young Roberto Alagna – and he’s - sort of - French. And for the classic voice, here’s Nicolai Gedda.)
Now turn to Offenbach’s version a century later (1858). It’s his first full-length operetta and the first of several spoofs on honoured myths. He turned it entirely inside out with the simple assumption that Orpheus and Eurydice were bored with each other. All else follows if you don’t revere those gods – which he also reasonably reckoned were pretty bored with ambrosia.
Here’s a 1998 production in English to help you with the end of Act 1, by which time Orpheus has plotted with Pluto to kill Euridice, Public Opinion has insisted Orpheus must rescue her from Hell, so the gods all decide to go down there too as an antidote to boredom. Yes, the end of Act 2 is here too – don’t miss the allusions to Gluck’s famous aria. (Once you get the idea, try this full opera German version of full operetta glory – no subtitles, but you know what’s going on.)
Check out our page on Gluck’s celebration of the Orpheus myth here, from our term on operas from Greek myths (yes it was 2017.) And here’s our page on Offenbach’s version.
There’s a delightful collection of images and cartoons of Offenbach to the tune of the galop on this page about Offenbach. And a nice summary, complete with cast, of the Opéra National de Lyon, 1997, production we are going to revisit here.
Trivia question: was this the first lampooning of Public Opinion in opera??