Preview of OpSoc’s Orphée and Eurydice

by Kyra Ho

As the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice goes, Orpheus travels to the underworld to rescue his dead lover but must abide by the rule that on the journey back he cannot turn to look at her, or she will be lost forever. 

In director Amy Addinall’s new take, however, the two leads are played by military women, as ‘it’s not the gender, it’s the love between the characters that matters’ according to Tabitha Benton-Evans, who plays Orphée. The removal of the man/woman relationship makes the traditionally gendered ‘(male) hero saving woman’ aspect less pertinent, and the key component of the opera becomes a consideration of the facets of love, of how it can be a selfish pursuit or an expression of extreme devotion or a heart-breaking test or… anything or everything. It is also much easier to play Orphée as a gay woman than as a woman pretending to be a straight man, which gives the character an earnest quality that makes for more of an emotional connection between audience and performer. This applies to the way the two leads interact vocally too; we understand their relationship through the way they sing together, and this is most natural when gender doesn’t interfere. Given the production’s setting of modern day, the character choice makes sense, and will likely go unnoticed by opera puritans and newbies alike. 

I was lucky enough to sit in on a run-through of their Orphée and Eurydice, which has been translated from the original French to English by students of Professor Julia Prest's "Translating French Opera" module, one of which was the vocal Musical Director Theodore Day, who also rewrote the score to fit the re-gendering of the leads. I really doubt if anyone would realise they were listening to a translated work; the lyrics are as organic as opera (inherently expositional) allows for. A particular line, which might hit too close to home if week 5 is getting to you, is: 

‘I beg for death’s release.’ 

Producing an opera in a mere 4 weeks will do that to you I suppose. 

The translation took 9 months, which is more impressive than it sounds. Translating literature and retaining any semblance of art is hard enough, let alone when the words 

have to fit music, let alone Gluck’s music which reflects the crises he was having regarding opera and its disparity between form and content while composing. This translation only really works with a military theme in mind, due to some lines such as: ‘Life in the service is not a burden, but more appealing than freedom alone’ which means it can only be used for this specific production, though this is not really to its detriment. 

Despite an incredibly short rehearsal period, the run-through had a calm and assured vibe, due to the strength of the sound. No doubt the orchestration and Byre stage will make the impressive chorus soar, as it will the hair-raising duet between the eponymous characters. The sweetness with which their voices come together in harmony in the second act is a reason to see the show in itself. 

It should be mentioned that this production will also appeal to non-fans of opera, because the music is genuinely tuneful and emotionally involved, as mentioned earlier, which cannot be said for all opera. There is an approachability to the melodies; there were motifs that felt more contemporary than classical, or maybe that was just me. Either way I was nodding along in moments of the run-through. 

OpSoc have added an accessible aspect to an interesting show in under a month and in translation. 

Orphée and Eurydice goes up in its full harmonious glory October 15th, 16th and 17th in the Byre Theatre. For more information go to: 

https://byretheatre.com/events/st-andrews-opera-society-presents-orphee-euridice/