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ED2017 5/5 Reviews ED2017 Music Reviews
L’Orfeo – English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, Sir John Eliot Gardiner (Edinburgh International Festival)
By Louise Rodgers | Published on Sunday 20 August 2017
Composer Monteverdi’s 450th anniversary was celebrated in great style in this triumphant, exhilarating concert performance that drew the audience irresistibly into this well-known story. Revelling nymphs and shepherds – portrayed sensuously by the Monteverdi choir – gave way to Orpheo’s descent into the underworld. In his quest to bring back his dead wife, Eurydice, he met bass Gianluco Buratto singing wonderfully as Charon, the slow, murky boatman of the dead. The orchestra played an extravagant collection of early instruments perfectly and interacted with the singers – Orpheo, shocked by the sudden death of Eurydice, leant on a harpsichord player and Charon reached out to touch the harp, baffled by its unfamiliar sweetness. I wasn’t baffled, but I was stunned by such a magnificent event!
Usher Hall, 14 Aug.
tw rating 5/5 | [Louise Rodgers]
