Product Details

• Actors: Magdalena Kozená, Madeline Bender, Patricia Petibon, John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir
• Directors: Robert Wilson, Brian Large
• Writers: Pierre-Louis Moline, Christoph Willibald Gluck
• Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: Italian (PCM Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (PCM Stereo)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: EMI Classics
• DVD Release Date: February 24, 2009
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001IOMW7Q
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,287 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Gluck's 1762 opera Orphée et Eurydice was groundbreaking in its day and, as this 1999 performance from the Théâtre Musical de Paris shows, it still lends itself to radical treatment. The composer's rejection of traditional, flamboyant, operatic bells and whistles led to a fresh form in which the lyrics hold court. The music provides the setting and emotional color in a way that is almost physical in its intensity. Gluck's readiness to incorporate the influences of other art forms--poetry, ballet, and drama--has always made this story of love rescued from the jaws of tragedy universally appealing.

This production, directed by Robert Wilson and conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, is mesmerizing. The all but ill-fated couple (Magdalena Kozena and Madeline Bender) move as if in a trance, their actions suggesting marionettes controlled by greater forces. Their faces are largely expressionless, leaving their voices to explore the force of the huge range of human emotions they must cover during the opera's 100 minutes. Only Cupid runs free. The performances are beautifully sung in French, Kozena bringing immense dignity to Orphée's lament, "J'ai perdu mon Eurydice." A powerful interpretation of an important work, fit for the 21st century. --Piers Ford, Amazon.co.uk

Product Description

DVD Tracklist

1. Titles:- Orphée Et Eurydice
2. Ouverture:- Orphée Et Eurydice
3. Ah! dans ce bois tranquille:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 1
4. Pantomime:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 1
5. Ah! dans ce bois lugubre:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 1
6. Ritournelle:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 1
7. Objet de mon amour:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 2
8. Accablé de regrets:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 2
9. Plein de trouble et d'effroi:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 2
10. L'Amour vient au secours:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 3
11. Si les doux accords:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 3
12. Sournis au silence:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 3
13. Qu'entends-je?:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 4
14. Amour, viens rendre à mon âme:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act I, Scène 4
15. Maestoso:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
16. Prélude:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
17. Quel est l'audacieux:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
18. Danse des Furies:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
19. Quel est l'audacieux:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
20. Laissez-vous toucher:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
21. Qui t'amèneen ces lieux
22. Ah! la flamme:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
23. Par quels puissant accords:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
24. La tendresse qui me presse:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
25. Quels chants doux et touchants!:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
26. Danse des Furies:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 1
27. Ballet:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 2
28. Air:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 2
29. Cet asile aimable:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 2
30. Danse des Héros et Heroines:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 2
31. Quel nouveau ciel :- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 3
32. Viens dans ce séjour paisible:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 3
33. Ballet:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 3
34. Ô vous, ombres que j'implore:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 3
35. Près du tendre objet qu'on aime:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act II, Scène 4
36. Viens, viens, Eurydice:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act III, Scène 1
37. Viens, suis un époux qui t'adore:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act III, Scène 1
38. Fortune ennemie:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act III, Scène 1
39. J'ai goûtais les charmes:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act III, Scène 1
40. Fortune ennemie:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act III, Scène 1
41. J'ai perdu mon Eurydice:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act III, Scène 1
42. Arrête, Orphée:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act III, Scène 2
43. Tendre Amour:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act III, Scène 2
44. Le dieu de Paphos:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act III, Scène dernière
45. Curtain Calls:- Orphée Et Eurydice, Act III, Scène dernière

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blue Orfeo, August 7, 2001

By 

Noam Eitan (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gluck - Orphée et Eurydice / Robert Wilson · John Eliot Gardiner - Kozená · Bender · Petibon - Théâtre du Chatelet (DVD)

Gluck wrote an Italian version of "Orfeo" in 1762 for Vienna. In 1774 he re-wrote a French version for Paris, with ballets and an extended role for Orphée. Gardiner chose a French version Berlioz wrote in 1859 for the great mezzo Pauline Viardot. This "Orphée et Eurydice" opened in the renovated Châtelet together with "Alceste", also availavable on DVD. Both were recorded in October 1999 and share similar aesthetics.

"Alceste" too has an early Italian and a later Berlioz version. For "Alceste" Gardiner constructed a French hybrid that incorporates elements of the two. For example, the famous aria "divinités du Styx" has a French translation of the Italian version: "ombres, larves." Why? Ask Gardiner. He also transposed the "Alceste" score downward. On both DVD's, his approach is fresh, idiomatic and unforced. His fast tempi balance the dreamy pace of action on the stage. He loves sprightly rhythms and now and then an abrupt chord.

The still very young Czech mezzo Magdalena Kožená (Orphée) has a pleasant voice of exceptional sheen and beauty, a good command of the coloratura with delicious lightness, agility and clear diction. However, she lacks the necessary depth. The demands of the role surpass her experience, evidenced by a deficiency in the lower registers that sometimes breaks her musical line. These problems in the passaggio are particularly evident in the challenging "Amour vient rendre à mon âme" with its tessitura spread over three registers (27:00, in the trills), added by Berlioz especially for Viardot. American soprano, Madeline Bender (Eurydice), dressed in a virginal white gown, has a smooth, crystal tone. French soprano, Patricia Petibon is a delightful Amour. All three are quite ravishing. Paradoxically, the exquisite Kožená suffers from ugly makeup that is supposed to give her a certain masculine hue.

Robert Wilson, an American originally from Texas, active mostly in European opera houses, directs both productions. Under his direction the singers move in a highly stylized and ritualistic choreography inspired by the Japanese Nôh theatre tradition. A section of the French public booed him loudly. This was echoed by French critics. They panned his approach and made vaguely suspicious references to his Texan origins. English and German critics liked and defended him from this lukewarm reception.

Wilson is known as a minimalist. He presents the action as a series of tableaux that flow naturally from one to the other. Orphée and his spouse move about the stage looking something like ancient Egyptian bas-reliefs. The famous "Ballet des Ombres Heureuses" and "Danse des Furies" are tableaux devoid of dancers, with a few shifting shadows of the chorus in the background, plus a few abrupt lighting changes. Both the "Alceste" and the "Orphée" share a projected cube that floats near, approaches and departs again. I find it amazing how communicative this device is, despite its abstractness. It is evocative of the power of fate, descending arbitrarily from the air to threaten the loving pairs in the two works. The Ancient Greeks' concept of fate is not immediately accessible to the modern mind. Yet, Wilson dramatizes it in a visceral way that is completely modern. He is truly a genius of the 21st Century. Unlike other productions, ravaged by the excesses of ignorant and megalomaniac directors, espousing post-modernism, minimalism, or any other faddish -ism, this unique collaboration between Gardiner and Wilson produces a consistent musical-dramatic unit.

Despite this, I must admit that initially both productions struck me as detached, contrived, devoid of rubato and under-whelming. I rarely bother to listen to anything written before 1812, being heavily invested in the romantic and post romantic repertoire. It is only on repeat viewing that I was able to appreciate the wonders of these productions. If you approach them in a fairly suggestible mood, the experience can be (and has been) described as "hypnotic." From the moment the blue square enlarges to encompass the action on stage you enter an enchanted world. The set, merely a rock and a few poplar trees in silhouette, is bathed in the same cerulean color as Orphée's costume. This ever present blue is reminiscent of the azure of the endless heavens or that of the Aegean Sea, pristine in its primordial beauty. I couldn't tear myself from the screen.

The characters too, seemed to be hypnotized, or even bewitched. Wilson's approach has given rise to various interpretations. I read of one viewer who felt that the characters moved slowly and artificially as if their movements were controlled by the gods. Only the god Amour has the freedom to move with spontaneity. Another thought that the unisex costuming and makeup emphasized the femaleness of Kožená and Petibon, which gave the tale an intriguing Saphic slant. For me, the action took place in an arctic dream world, cast in an eerie light, inhabited by almost frozen figures residing on the edge of death.

Where these productions take you is highly personal. It has been an insidiously enticing operatic experience for me. Wilson dissolves your defenses by seduction rather than by force.

Many operatic productions lose their power in the transition from the stage to the small screen. These two works seem perfect for television because the heightened artificiality, often an unwanted effect, is at the core of the stylistic language here. The intensity of the experience is ironically heightened in this case by the intimacy that this medium provides. Another advantage of the DVD is that the lack of projection of the voices, always a problem with Châtelet acoustics, is easily solved here. Like all the other Châtelet DVD's, these two have an almost perfect picture quality.

As a final note, I am curious to see Wilson apply his approach to Wagner's ring. He may be able to make dramatic sense of its warring gods, without reducing them into "symbols" of one kind or another.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ROBERT WILSON'S "ORPHEUS...", September 14, 2002

By 

MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gluck - Orphée et Eurydice / Robert Wilson · John Eliot Gardiner - Kozená · Bender · Petibon - Théâtre du Chatelet (DVD)

Gluck's ORPHEUS & EURIDICE is one of my favorite operas. Strangely enough I have seen several different productions. I say, "strangely" since it is rarely produced in New York, but I have seen it in a gorgeous, traditional production at the Metropolitan Opera House starring the incomparable Marilyn Horne and in a concert version at Tanglewood with the same star. I have also seen a post-modern production at the New York City Opera which made little sense to me and in two interesting productions outside of New York City.

Robert Wilson is a director I admire greatly and this production is gorgeous: the costumes, the choreography, the stark settings and especially the lighting are all of a piece as if done by one person. The formal structure of the opera is stressed with Wilson's use of simple, symbolic gestures, mask-like make-up, few props and a bold use of color. The story is the mythic one of Orpheus who, in mourning for his wife, Euridice, decides to venture to Hades in order to return her to Earth. After various struggles, he does so with the great aid of the goddess, Amore.

There are only three principal roles in the opera, all sung by women and this cast is very good, if not up to the likes of Horne or in another fine recording, Anne Sofie von Otter, or in yet a third, Rise Stevens. In fact, there are times, especially in Act 1, when the mezzo, Magdalena Kozena, as 'Orpheus' frequently sings off pitch. Patricia Petibon does better as the goddess and Madeline Bender is fine as 'Euridice.'
Sir John Eliot Gardiner, his orchestra the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, and the Monteverdi Choir are all superb.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much of a blue thing...., January 9, 2009

By 

Armida (Mombasa, Kenya) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gluck - Orphée et Eurydice / Robert Wilson · John Eliot Gardiner - Kozená · Bender · Petibon - Théâtre du Chatelet (DVD)

This production is what you get when a stage director plagiarises his own ideas. What worked beautifully and made dramatic sense in Alceste is a pitiful failure in Orphee. In Alceste, the protagonists are caught up in a divine scheme that was not of their making; Orphee, on the other hand, does not blindly accept irrational fate, but goes out to change it. The allure of Orpheus has always been that he used his voice to charm the gods. So, in my mind, entirely different dramatic situations. But this Orphee is far from charming... scary is more like it...

In this production, Robert Wilson seems to be channeling Edward D. Wood jr. Orpheus looks like Frankenstein's bride; all characters move with the grace of Vampira. Only Patricia Petibon is her usual quirky and brilliant self as Amour.

Kozena sings well, although I preferred Vesselina Kasarova. On the other hand, Petibon is the far better Amour. Bender makes for a pretty Eurydice, despite the jerky movements and a vacant stare. John Eliot Gardiner is familiar enough with Orfeo/Orphee; he coaxes orchestral colours out of his ensemble, that I have not heard previously. That should have merited 5 stars; but then he cut the ballets that conclude the opera.

So, 2 stars for the unimaginative production, 3 stars for Gardiner and 5 stars for Patricia Petibon.

Perhaps it was a mistake to watch Orphee immediately after Alceste; it brings out the inferiority of this staging.