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| Ensemble Pygmalion. Photo Frank Montagne |
Orfeo .
Composer Luigi Rossi.
Libretto by Francesco Buti. Conductor Raphael Pichon. Pygmalion choir and
orchestra. Adelaide Town Hall. Adelaide Festival. March 4 and 6 2026
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
Luigi Rossi’s 17th century opera Orfeo with libretto by Francesco Buti received a rapturous ovation in a concert performance in Adelaide’s stately Town Hall. The fact that the opera was performed without the embellishment of a full scale production did nothing to diminish the sheer power and passion of Ensemble Pygmalion’s performance under the baton of the company’s founder Raphael Pichon. Singers and orchestra were unparalleled in their performance. The fact that it was a concert offering with minimal action and unpretentious modern day costuming heightened my appreciation of the opera and the unique period instrumentation. Although written almost four hundred years ago, Ensemble Pygmalion’s performance was both contemporary and relevant to our time. Rossi’s Orfeo was no museum piece in spite of its baroque composition and 17th century period instruments which lent an unique authenticity to the performance. The singing by the principals and the chorus accentuated the drama of the fateful myth of Orpheus (Xenia Puskarz Thomas) and his beloved Euridyce (Julie Roset)
The opera opens on Euridyce’s
wedding day to Orpheus. The couple are warned of bad omens but ignore the
warnings and continue with the wedding much to the dismay of Aristaeus
(Blandine de Sansal) who is desirous of Euridyce. He seeks the help of Venus (Camille
Chopin)) to prevent the union. Venus uses deception to manipulate events and
cause the ensuing tragedy. During a dance, Eurydice is bitten by a serpent and
rejects any help. She dies in Orpheus’s arms and descends to Hades. Grief
stricken, Orpheus implores the Fates (Laurence Kilsby, Rene Ramos Premier, Renau
Bres) for help and they grant him the permission to descend and find his
beloved Euridyce. In Hades, Orpheus soothes the King of the Underworld Pluto
(Alex with his voice and is allowed to take Euridyce back to the earthly world.
However, he must not look back or Euridyce will die and remain eternally in the
Underworld. As they ascend, Euridyce takes hold of Orpheus who turns to her
face and once again she dies in his arms, leaving him to bear the enormous
burden of grief. The opera ends with Orpheus alone pleading with Death to let
him die with his bride.
The first modern revival of Orfeo was not until 1976 in Belfast and it received its first production in Italy at La Scala in 1982. It is difficult to believe that a work so beautifully composed and orchestrated should have taken three hundred years to gain the reputation it so richly deserves. Ensemble Pygmalion has breathed life into Rossi’s remarkably relevant work and Pinchon’s mercurial interpretation lends the work an immediacy that is exciting and emotionally powerful. His use of instruments of the period such as the harpsichord, the harp, the Fagotto and the theorbos complement along with the traditional violins, violas guitas, organ and double bass an aural landscape of emotional diversity. Love, loyalty, deception,, jealousy, fate and power are all players in this destiny of the lovers.
Rossi has written the roles of
Orpheus and Aristaeus for castrato. Mezzo soprano Xenia Puzkar Thomas strikes
the heart with her powerful display of grief. There is a touch of style and
sophistication in her white pants suit that lends grace to her performance. Blandine
Sansal’s Aristaeus sings with a despairing passion that paints her as a victim
of her own weakness. Soprano Julie Roset, dressed in red, personifies sweet
innocence. It is a tender performance totally befitting her naivety. There are
fine performances from the other characters in this dramatic tragedy. Bass Alex
Rosen fills the town hall with the power of Pluto’s authority. The real
strength of the performances in this straightforward enactment of Rossi’s and
Buti’s opera is Pinchon’s attention to characterization. Orfeo is Shakespearian
in its scope, embracing the dark emotions of the human psyche as well as the
moments of comedy that are unexpected. There are whimsical touches in the
costuming and a cheeky absurdity in the portrayal of the old woman, Vecchia
(Dominique Visse)
Though Ensemble Pygmalion’s performance of Orfeo may be considered minimalist in the Adelaide Town Hall setting, this is a work that still resonates through the ages. The themes are universal, the travails of life and death, the fears and the dreams that rule our destiny. Under Pinchon’s baton Rossi’s Orfeo is exceptionally innovative, bridging as it does the Italian and French traditions. It is because of this influence that we can be still surprised by the emotional shifts and variations as the characters love, suffer and die. On a narrow stage Ensemble Pygmalion’s performance is highly dramatic and at other times, gentle and tender as in the Act 1 duet between Orpheus and Euridyce. Singers, orchestra and choir create a musical landscape of such passion and humanity that we are swayed by the myth and Pinchon’s magical interpretation of Rossi’s centuries old work.
It is a privilege to be
introduced to this work, performed so magnificently by singers and musicians of
extraordinary talent and insight. Pinchon’s conducting is playful and
liberating. He inspires exceptional originality in the playing and in the
performances of his principal artists and the choir, who at one point sing from
the balcony, surprising, delighting and filling the auditorium with the thrill
of the performance.
Originally, the opera was staged
with huge scenery and complete operatic spectacle. I found myself fully
immersed in the passion and the performance in concert with only the musicians
and the singers to make Orfeo an unforgettable highlight of the Adelaide
Festival.
Photos by Claudio Raschella
Orfeo Programme. af26-show-programs-pygmalion-orfeo-fv.pdf
