Charpentier’s brief (barely over an hour), unfinished opera (1686) is based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The story - an allegory of grief over the premature death of a loved one, in which the hero travels to the Underworld to retrieve his bride after she is despatched by a snake-bite on their wedding day - is a familiar operatic subject, most famously covered by Gluck and most comically by Offenbach. It would be fair to say, without being unkind, that Charpentier’s work suffers greatly by comparison with those other works and the lack of memorable melodies and originality of treatment is felt in every bar. It is a strange choice for revival by the Vache Baroque company, presented as part of Buxton’s annual Opera Festival.
Happily, most cavils about this production centre on the thinness of the work itself rather than its presentation, which makes creative use of a small performance space and a talented ensemble cast to create a worthwhile evening. With an onstage band of six and a vaguely commedia del arte theme - Pierrots and Columbines are much in evidence - this is amiable fun that, while it may never touch the heart as Gluck’s work does, still manages to occasionally catch the ear.
Tenor Gwilym Bowen is an impassioned Orphee who avoids declamatory poses and sings from the heart and James Geidt is a resonant Pluton, Lord of the Underworld and Frances Gregory a charming Proserpine. It will be good to hear these voices, among others, given worthier and more memorable material to work with than this underwhelming half-opera with its jarringly abrupt ‘conclusion.’
Jeanne Pansard-Besson’s production is pleasantly uncluttered and makes maximum use of a limited space, though I could wish the lighting had been a little more sensitive - Orphee delivered one of his most prominent arias in relative darkness!
Further performances on 20th and 24th July.
https://buxtonfestival.co.uk/whats-on/la-descente-dorphee-aux-enfers
Reviewer: Paul Ashcroft
On: 14th July 2025
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