Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld)

Orphée aux enfers

(Orpheus in the Underworld)

An Opera in Four Acts

Orphée aux enfers will be fully staged by Director Douglas Anderson, with orchestra conducted by Guest Conductor Clinton Smith. Sung in French with English supertitles. Artistic Director Douglas Anderson says: “Orpheus is a wild, anything-goes opera with a wild, anything-goes score to match. It’s laugh-out loud funny – the perfect antidote to the challenging couple of years we’ve all just been through.”

A comic opera with Music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy, the opera is a lampoon of the ancient legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. In this version Orpheus is not the son of Apollo, but a rustic violin teacher. He is glad to be rid of his wife, Eurydice, when she is abducted by the god of the underworld, Pluto. Orpheus has to be bullied by Public Opinion into trying to rescue Eurydice. What ensues is a riotous comedy with memorable music popularly associated with a dance made famous by those at the Moulin Rouge in the late 19th century. Can-Can you guess what it is?