The new staging will weave together western and Indian classical music, creating a groundbreaking musical and dramatic tapestry.
Orpheus will be a groundbreaking reimagining of one of the earliest surviving operas, Monteverdi’s 1607 work L’Orfeo.
The production will open at the Leeds Grand Theatre this October before touring other northern theatres alongside Verdi’s La traviata, and concerts of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice.
The opera takes place on the day of the wedding of the protagonist Orpheus, a musician of mythical power, to Eurydice. But their joy is shattered when Eurydice dies suddenly, and Orpheus, heartbroken, vows to travel to the Underworld to find his new wife and return her to life.
The exciting new production will feature additional composition and arrangements by Jasdeep Singh Degun, working as co-Music Director with early music expert Laurence Cummings.
The cross-cultural opera will be sung in Italian and Urdu, with some sections sung in Hindi, Tamil, Malayam, Punjabi, Bengali and there will be also be English titles at all performances.
The breathtaking onstage orchestra will consist of 19 players and will include an ensemble of violin, viola, cello, bass, trumpet, percussion, harp, harpsichord, lirone and theorbo, as well as Indian classical instruments including sitar, tabla, santoor, esraj and bansuri.
The incredible inclusion of Indian instruments has grown out of Opera North’s longstanding collaborative relationship with South Asian Arts-uk, a Leeds based centre of excellence in Indian classical music.
Jasdeep Singh Degun, Music Director, comments “I’m very happy to be beginning my tenure as artist-in-residence at Opera North with the new and exciting production of Orpheus. As well as acting as joint Music Director on the opera with the brilliant Laurence Cummings, I have been fortunate to compose new music alongside Monteverdi’s masterpiece.”
“I’m very excited to be bringing such a stellar cast of Indian classical musicians and vocalists to Leeds – these are, quite literally, the best of the best Indian classical musicians in the UK!”
This highly anticipated masterpiece opens it’s doors on Friday 14th October 2022 at the Leeds Grand Theatre.
To book your ticket and to find any further information, take a look at their website.
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Feature Image: Opera North
