(Credits: Fabio Lovino / Daniele Ferroni / Semperoper Dresden official website)

The Komische Oper Berlin will stage Damiano Michieletto’s production of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s opera “Orfeo ed Euridice.” It will be presented in the Italian version, which premiered in Vienna in 1762.

Italian countertenor Carlo Vistoli and soprano Nadja Mchantaf will perform the title roles, and will be joined onstage by soprano Josefine Mindus in the role of Amore. David Bates will conduct.

“It’s a journey into the discovery of love, or better, the rediscovery of love. A love giving us new eyes, and a new vision of our beloved one,” said Michieletto in a press statement. “The story begins with a couple in crisis, worn out by routine, by time and habit – Orfeo and Euridice no longer have that spark of love: he no longer sees her, he doesn’t recognize her presence. At this point it’s as if Amore challenges him by taking his woman away. Euridice dies and only then is Orfeo able to regain his feelings, to recreate that spark of love. Only then does he get his vision back and the chance to see who Euridice really is for him. His descent into hell is thus a metaphor of the deepest acknowledgment of his lover. It’s almost a lesson on the concept of love, on what it means and what its value is in our lives,” concludes the Italian director.

The opera will be on a repertoire in January and February 2022, and will be also showcased during Komische Oper’s Festival in July 2022.