The histories of Italian and French opera are entangled, with few operas illustrating the situation more tellingly than Gluck’s celebrated treatment of the Orpheus legend. Like many operas, it exists in Italian (Orfeo ed Euridice, Vienna, 1762) and French (Orphée et Eurydice, Paris, 1774) versions, but until the 1980s modern audiences invariably heard a composite of both, assembled in its essentials by Berlioz. Given today’s healthy practice of favoring composers’ intentions, Gluck’s own versions have made a comeback, most recently exemplified by a new production of the French version by Lyric Opera of Chicago with the Joffrey Ballet.
Even before its transformation, the Italian version exhibited many French qualities, partly because it is an azione teatrale, a genre that, in contrast to typical Italian serious operas, readily incorporated choruses and ballets characteristic of French opera. In addition, progressive thought had it that French traits could help revitalize Italian opera, which makes it difficult to say whether specific French qualities of the Italian version stem from its genre or from imitation of French practice. What is clear is that the work represents a radical departure, partly because of its conciseness and even austerity, and also because of the absence of secco recitative (another French trait) and elaborate arias showing off the singer. It stands as Gluck’s first “reform” opera, though theorizing about reform came only later with the preface (1769) to the printed score of Alceste.
The work represents a radical departure
