Orfeo ed Eurodice performed by Exeter Opera Group

Exeter Opera Group is a young group, we have existed for a couple of years. It consists of local musicians, mostly based in Devon. We used to perform a lot of charity concerts to support Ukrainian volunteers in the war. From last year we started staging operas, Gluck’s ‘Orfeo ed Euridice’, Purcel’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’. This autumn we are aiming to stage ‘Carmen in Stories’ based on G. Bizet’s opera ‘Carmen’, and in winter next year Rossini’s ‘La Cenerentola’.

In between we are working on a new project called ‘Queens in Opera’. We have already performed 4 concerts in different venues, including Exeter Castle and St. Nicholas Priory.

The story of the opera:

The great musician Orfeo mourns the death of his wife Euridice. Amore, the God of Love, tells Orfeo that the gods have granted him permission to journey down to Hades. If he can calm the Furies with his music, he may lead Euridice back to the land of living – on the condition that he never once looks back at her on their journey.

Orfeo appeases the Furies with his music and finds Euridice in Elysium. He begins to lead her back, but she is distressed by his strange behaviour. She faints and Orfeo looks back; Euridice dies in his arms. Amore appears and consoles Orfeo. His fidelity now proven, Euridice may be restored to him. Orfeo, Euridice and Amore celebrate the power of love.

In our performance however we give our own interpretation to this beautiful story: Everything what happens to Orfeo, is his imagination, his illusion. Therefore we have given a subtitle to the opera ‘Ofeo’s Illusion’.

Acts 1 & 2

Orfeo is at the hospital. He is ill. He imagines that his beautiful wife Euridice has died. He also imagines that his doctor’s name is Amore, probably because she cures him and every time she gives him an injection or a tablet, he feels better. His imagination develops and he relates his situation to the myth of Orfeo: He must go to the Underworld, talk to devils and furies, ask them to let him into Elysium, where Euridice is now living. In between some strange things happen the way we see our dreams: We see the people we know well quite differently, the unrealistic events are acceptable, because it is just an imagination, a dream. Orfeo imagines he is in Elysium. He sees a beautiful Angel and he hears ethereal music.

~Interval~

Act 3

Orfeo meets Euridice and asks her to go home with him. According to the rule, he is not allowed to look at his wife. He therefore wears sunglasses. He, however, looks at his beautiful Euridice, because he cannot resist his wife’s pleading to look at her. Euridice dies and Orfeo wants to commit suicide. Amore, the doctor, comes just in time and saves him from doing it.

Orfeo recovers from his disease and from his illusion. All things become real now. Everybody is happy.

A licensed bar will be available.

Reduced price of £5 for under 16s