The Canadian Opera Company's production of Gluck's masterpiece, Orfeo ed Euridice, directed by famed Canadian director Robert Carsen, has met with overwhelming critical acclaim, with the production called "exquisite," "haunting," "fascinating," "unforgettable," and "unmissable," and the performances described as "nothing short of sensational." Carsen is joined by renowned opera and concert conductor Harry Bicket and opera stars American countertenor Lawrence Zazzo and Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian. Orfeo ed Euridice is sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™, and runs for eight performances on May 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 24, 26 and 28, 2011.
The Critics Say...
"Director Robert Carsen and designer Tobias Hoheisel wring every possible drop of meaning from a strict minimum of visual expression, heightening the sense of drama from beginning to end. The lighting design by Carsen and Peter Van Praet was especially effective. The singers were nothing short of sensational vocally and dramatically. American countertenor Lawrence Zazzo (last seen here in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2009) and Toronto soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian as Eurydice made a dream couple. COC Ensemble Studio soprano Ambur Braid was strong as Amore . . . This is one of those rare, charmed opera productions where every element comes together for a magically memorable emotional and esthetic whole. In this case, one wishes it would not end quite so soon." - Toronto Star
"The whole show was like that, each element reinforcing the others, prodding you to hear something in a new way or to understand what words and music were getting at all along. This is why we go to music theatre; this is why it exists . . . countertenor Lawrence Zazzo made the hero’s journey to the underworld feel like a real-time adventure in the psychology of desperate measures. Orfeo’s most famous aria, delivered after he loses Euridice a second time, is often criticized for being too light and pretty for the situation, but for once it felt mysteriously deep, as if beyond mere sorrow – an impression prepared by all that came before, and by Zazzo’s shapely, intelligent singing . . . the little that is missing hardly counts against the imaginative riches of this fascinating, unmissable show." - The Globe and Mail
"The production . . . is beautiful in its stark simplicity and the singing by the cast and playing of the COC Orchestra under Harry Bicket is exquisite." - The WholeNote
"Without exaggeration, it was a truly unforgettable experience. The power of Gluck's magnificent score, presented in a visually stunning production starring great singing actors led by the terrific American countertenor Lawrence Zazzo, under the inspired direction of Canadian Robert Carsen, left an indelible impression." - La Scena Musicale (blog)
"Less is definitely more in Robert Carsen’s haunting production of Gluck’s Orfeo Ed Euridice . . . Carsen and his team respect the work with a simple but by no means stark design . . . The performances are superb . . . it’s countertenor Zazzo who wrenches your heart with his powerful, plangent voice, especially in the aria following Euridice’s second death, proof that Gluck was a consummate man of the theatre. Under Harry Bicket’s baton, the COC orchestra makes the 250-year-old music sound full and alive, while the superb chorus fills the hall with such pure emotion they could literally move heaven and hell." - NOW Magazine
Director's Notes
More critical acclaim for Robert Carsen's production
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Photo: Michael Cooper
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