Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Das Monteverdi-Ensemble des Opernhauses Zürich
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Filmed in 1978
Orfeo : Philippe Huttenlocher (baryton)
Euridice : Dietlinde Turban (soprano)
La Musica – La speranza : Trudeliese Schmidt (soprano)
Apollo : Roland Hermann (ténor)
Proserpina – La messaggera : Glenys Linos (soprano)
Plutone : Werner Gröschel (basse)
Caronte : Hans Franzen (basse)
Ninfa : Suzanne Calabro (soprano)
Introduction:
L’Orfeo is a late Renaissance/early Baroque opera by Claudio Monteverdi with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world. It was written in 1607 for a court performance during the annual Carnival at Mantua.