OK, I admit it. On first
viewing, I pretty much hated this production. I got the DVD because 1.) I will listen to anything John Eliot Gardiner
and the Monteverdi Choir do*; 2.) I really like Magdalena Kožená; and 3.) I
absolutely love this opera!
It’s so blue! And so static! And Orphée is so strange looking – androgynous. And what’s with
the hair, and that robe? Ironically, the copy on the
DVD case says, “…Wilson makes the most of the opera’s balletic possibilities…”
But, the word “mesmerizing,” is also used, and I think that is the key to
enjoying this performance (that, and patience.)
