Orfeo ed Euridice discography

Terracotta bust of C.W. Gluck
by Jean-Antoine Houdon

The following discography for Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice is mainly based on the research of Giuseppe Rossi, which appeared in the programme notes to the performance of the work at the 70th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 2007, under the title "Discografia – Christoph Willibald Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice (Orphée et Eurydice)". Rossi's data has been checked against the sources referenced in the notes.

The discography gives the language of the recording as well as the version performed, although the recordings often mix different editions of the work or are even based on new ones created "from scratch." In the most significant cases, such mixed versions are described in detail. The term "pasticcio" (which has no negative connotation in this context) has been used for recordings where the different versions are inextricably mixed.

List

Complete recordings

Recording data: date and labels	Version/language	Conductor/director[1]	Cast: Orpheus, Eurydice, Cupid, A blessed spirit[2]	Orchestra and chorus
1940 – Walhall CD	Ricordi[3]/Italian	Erich Leinsdorf	Kerstin Thorborg, Jarmila Novotná, Marita Farell, Annamary Dickey	Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, New York
1950 – Melodija LP/Dante CD	Paris (1774)[4]/ Russian	Samuil Samosud	Ivan Kozlovskij, Elizaveta Šumskaja, Galina Sakharova	Orchestra and Chorus of the Moscow Radio
1951 – EMI LP/Verona, EMI CD	Ricordi/Italian	Charles Bruck	Kathleen Ferrier, Greet Koeman, Nel Duval	Orchestra and Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam
1951 – Palladio LP/Urania, Walhall CD	Ricordi/Italian	Wilhelm Furtwängler	Fedora Barbieri, Magda Gabory, Hilde Güden	Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala, Milan
1952 – Urania, BASF, Nixa, Bellaphon Acanta LP/Dante, Preisetr, Cantus Classics CD	Dörffel/German	Arthur Rother	Margarete Klose, Erna Berger, Rita Streich, Fia Fleig	Orchestra and Chorus of the Städtische Oper, Berlin
1953 – Walhall CD	Dörffel/German	Michael Gielen	Hilde Rössel-Majdan, Sena Jurinac, Emmy Loose	Orchestra of Radio Wien and Chorus of the Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna
1954 – G.I.D.D.[5]	Paris (1774)/ French (?)	Nicholas Goldshmidt	Leon Combe, Corie Bijster, Annette de la Bije	Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus
1955 – Opera Melodram LP/GDS Records CD	Ricordi/Italian	Pierre Monteux	Risë Stevens, Hilde Güden, Laurel Hurley, Shakeh Varttenissian[6]	Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, New York
1955 – Pathé, Columbia, EMI LP	Paris (1774)[4]/ French	Louis de Froment	Nicolai Gedda, Janine Micheau, Liliane Berton	Orchestra of the Société des Concerts and Chorus of the Conservatoire of Paris
1956 – Philips CD	Paris (1774)[4]/ French	Hans Rosbaud	Léopold Simoneau, Suzanne Danco, Pierette Alaire	Association des Concerts Lamoureux and Chorus Ensemble Vocal “Roger Blanchard”
1956 – Eklipse CD	Ricordi/Italian	Antonio Pedrotti	Ebe Stignani, Ester Orel, Bruna Rizzoli	Orchestra and Chorus of the RAI of Milan
1956 – DG CD	pasticcio[7]/ German	Ferenc Fricsay	Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Maria Stader, Rita Streich	Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and Berliner Mottettenchor
1957 – RCA CD	Ricordi/Italian	Pierre Monteux	Risë Stevens, Lisa Della Casa, Roberta Peters	Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro dell'Opera, Rome
1958 – Omega Opera Archive CD[5]	Ricordi/Italian	Max Rudolf	Risë Stevens, Lucine Amara, Emilia Cundari	Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, New York
1959 – Opera d'oro, DG CD	Dörffel[8]/Italian	Herbert von Karajan	Giulietta Simionato, Sena Jurinac, Graziella Sciutti	Wiener Philharmoniker and Chorus of the Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna
1962 – Omega Opera Archive CD [5]	Ricordi/Italian	Jean Morel	Kerstin Meyer, Lucine Amara, Anneliese Rothenberger	Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, New York
1964 – Orfeo CD	Vienna (1762)[9]/ Italian[10]	Ferdinand Leitner	Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Söderström, Ruth-Margret Pütz	Cappella Coloniensis and Rundfunkchor, Cologne
1965 – RCA CD[11]	Ricordi[12]/Italian	Renato Fasano	Shirley Verrett, Anna Moffo, Judith Raskin	Orchestra “I Virtuosi di Roma” and Polyphonic Choir, Rome
1966 – Vanguard CD	Vienna (1762)[13]/ Italian	Charles Mackerras	Maureen Forrester, Teresa Stich-Randall, Hanny Staffek	Orchestra of the Wiener Staatsoper and Wiener Akademiechor, Vienna
1966 – EMI LP/Berlin Classics CD	Vienna (1762)[14]/ Italian	Václav Neumann	Grace Bumbry, Anneliese Rothenberger, Ruth-Margret Pütz	Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Rundfunkchor, Leipzig
1967 – DG CD	Vienna (1762)[9]/ Italian	Karl Richter	Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gundula Janowitz, Edda Moser	Münchener Bach-Orchester and Münchener Bach-Chor, Munich
1969 – Decca CD	pasticcio[15]/Italian	Georg Solti	Marilyn Horne, Pilar Lorengar, Helen Donath	Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
1970 – Opera d'oro CD	Vienna (1762)/ Italian	Seiji Ozawa	Shirley Verrett, Antonietta Stella, Mariella Adani	Orchestra and Chorus of the RAI of Turin
1971 – Movimento Musica LP/Bensar The Opera Lovers CD	(?)/Italian	Richard Bonynge	Grace Bumbry, Gabriella Tucci, Roberta Peters	Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, New York
1975 – Gala CD	(?) /Italian	Hans Vonk	Huguette Tourangeau, Catherine Malfitano, Barbara Hendricks	Residentie Orchestra, The Hague, and Nederlands Kamerkoor, Amsterdam
1979 – Hungaroton LP/Laserlight CD	Vienna (1762) Italian	Ervin Lukács	Júlia Hamari, Veronika Kincses, Mária Zempléni	Orchestra and Chorus of the Hungarian State Opera, Budapest
1981 – EMI CD	Vienna (1762)/ Italian	Riccardo Muti	Agnes Baltsa, Margaret Marshall, Edita Gruberova	Philharmonia Orchestra and Ambrosian Opera Chorus, London
1981 – Accent CD [16]	Vienna (1762)/ Italian	Sigiswald Kuijken	René Jacobs, Marjanne Kwecksilber, Magdalena Falewicz	La Petite Bande, Leuven, and Collegium Vocale of Ghent
1982 – Erato CD and Music&Arts CD[17]	Ricordi/Italian)	Raymond Leppard	Janet Baker, Elisabeth Speiser, Elizabeth Gale	London Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera
1982 – Castle Vision VHS/Pioneer Artists LD/Warner Music Vision – Kultur DVD [18]	Ricordi/Italian	Raymond Leppard/ Peter Hall	Janet Baker, Elisabeth Speiser, Elizabeth Gale	London Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera
1982 – Vipro, Metronome, Philips, Adès LP [19]	Dörffel/Italian	Heinz Panzer	Peter Hofmann, Julia Conwell, Allan Bergius[20]	Philharmonisches Orchester Köln, Cologne, andChor des Dortmunder Musikvereins, Dortmund
1986 – Eurodisc, RCA CD	Vienna (1762)[9]/ Italian	Leopold Hager	Marjana Lipovšek, Lucia Popp, Julie Kaufmann	Münchner Rundfunkorchester and Chorus of the Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich
1988 – Capriccio CD	Vienna (1762)[21]/ Italian	Hartmut Haenchen	Jochen Kowalski, Dagmar Schellenberger, Christian Fliegner [20]	Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra and Rundfunkchor, Berlin
1989 – EMI CD	Berlioz[22]/French	John Eliot Gardiner	Anne Sofie von Otter, Barbara Hendricks, Brigitte Fournier	Orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon and Monteverdi Choir
1991 – Sony CD [16]	Vienna (1762)/ Italian	Frieder Bernius	Michael Chance, Nancy Argenta, Stefan Beckerbauer[20]	Tafelmusik (directed by Jeanne Lamon) and Kammerchor Stuttgart
1991 – Sonpact CD	Vienna (1762) Italian	Joseph Lamarca	Alain Aubin, Claudine Cheriez, Isabelle Lopez	Orchestre de Chambre d'Aix-en-Provence and Choeur d'Aix en Musique, Aix-en-Provence
1991 – Philips CD [16]	Vienna (1762) Italian	John Eliot Gardiner	Derek Lee Ragin, Sylvia McNair, Cynthia Sieden	English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir
1991 – Virgin VHS/Pioneer LD/Arthaus DVD	Vienna (1762)/ Italian	Hartmut Haenchen/ Harry Kupfer	Jochen Kowalski, Gillian Webster, Jeremy Budd [20]	Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
1991 – Hungaroton DVD[23]	Vienna (1762) Italian	György Vashegyi/ Domokos Moldován	Derek Lee Ragin, Adrienne Csengery, Anna Pánti	Concerto Armonico Chamber Orchestra, Tomkins Vocal Ensemble and Central Europe Dance Company, Budapest
1993 – Forlane CD	Berlioz/French	Patrick Peire	Ewa Podleś, Raphaëlle Farman, Marie-Noëlle de Callataÿ	Collegium Instrumentale Brugense and Capella Brugensis
1993 – Kultur DVD	Paris (1774)[24]/ French	Marco Guidarini/ Stefanos Lazaridis	David Hobson, Amanda Thane, Miriam Gormley,	Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and Australian Opera Chorus, Sydney
1994 – Astrée Audivis CD[25]	Vienna (1762)/ Italian	Jean-Claude Malgoire	James Bowman, Lynne Dawson, Claron MacFadden	La Grande Écurie et la Chambre du Roy and Chœr de Chambre de Namur
1995 – Teldec CD	Berlioz/French	Donald Runnicles	Jennifer Larmore, Dawn Upshaw, Alison Hagley	Orchestra and Chorus of the San Francisco Opera House
1998 – Eagle Rock Entertainment VHS/DVD	Vienna (1762)/ Italian	Gustav Kuhn/ Alberto Fassini	Bernadette Manca di Nissa, Paula Almerares, Paola Antonucci	Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet of the Teatro San Carlo, Naples
1998 – ARTS CD	pasticcio/Italian	Peter Maag	Ewa Podleś, Ana Rodrigo, Elena de la Merced	Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia, A Coruña, and Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid
1998 – Naxos CD [16]	Vienna (1762)[26]/ Italian	Arnold Östman	Kerstin Avemo, Ann-Christine Biel, Maya Boog	Orchestra and Chorus of the Drottningholm Palace Theatre
1999 – Solfa [5]	(?)/Italian	Albert Argudo	Jordi Domènech, Miki Mori, Cristina Obregón	Orquestra Simfònica del Vallés, Sabadell, and Coro de los Amics de l'òpera de Sabadell
1999 – EMI DVD	Berlioz/French	John Eliot Gardiner/ Robert Wilson	Magdalena Kožená, Madeline Bender, Patricia Petibon	Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and Monteverdi Choir
2001 – Harmonia Mundi CD [16]	Vienna (1762)/ Italian	René Jacobs	Bernarda Fink, Verónica Cangemi, Maria Cristina Kiehr	Freiburger Barockorchester, and RIAS Kammerchor, Berlin
2003 – Farao Classics DVD	Berlioz/French	Ivor Bolton/ Nigel Lowery and Amir Hosseinpour	Vesselina Kasarova, Rosemary Joshua, Deborah York	Orchestra and Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich
2004[27] – Archiv CD	Paris (1774)[24]/ French	Marc Minkowski	Richard Croft, Mireille Delunsch, Marion Harousseau, Claire Delgado-Boge	Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble
2004 – Five Tone DVD	Berlioz/French	Amaury du Closel	Sylvie Sulle, Sophie de Segur, Isabelle Poulenard	Camerata de Versailles and Ensamble vocal Michel Piquemal
2005[28] – Naxos CD [16]	Paris (1774)[24]/ French	Ryan Brown	Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Catherine Dubosc, Suzie Le Blanc	Orchestra and Chorus of the Opera Lafayette, Washington, D.C.
2010[29] – BAC Blu-ray/DVD	Paris (1774)[30]/ French	Giampaolo Bisanti	Roberto Alagna, Serena Gamberoni , Marc Barrard[31]	Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Comunale, Bologna
2010[32] – Decca CD	Paris (1774)/ French	Jesús López Cobos	Juan Diego Flórez, Ainhoa Garmendia, Alessandra Marianelli	Coro y Orquesta Titular of the Teatro Real, Madrid
2011[33] - UNITEL/C MAJOR	Vienna (1762)[34]/ Italian	Gordan Nikolić/Carlus Padrissa	Anita Rachvelishvili, Maite Alberola, Auxiliadora Toledano	Palau de la Musica Catalana Chamber Choir & bandArt Orchestra
2014[35] - DVD Arthaus Musik/Naxos	Vienna (1762)[36]/ Italian	Václav Luks/Ondrej Halvelka	Bejun Mehta, Eva Liebau, Regula Mühlemann	Collegium Vocale 1704 & Collegium 1704
2015 – Archiv CD	Vienna (1762)[37]/ Italian	Laurence Equilbey	Franco Fagioli, Malin Hartelius, Emmanuelle De Negri	Accentus Chamber Choir, Insula Orchestra

Main partial recordings

Recording data: date and labels	Version/language	Conductor/director[1]	Cast: Orpheus, Eurydice, Cupid, A blessed spirit[2]	Orchestra and chorus
1935 – Pathé, Columbia/Music Memoria, Pearl, Arcadia CD (abridged edition)	Berlioz/French	Henri Tomasi	Alice Raveau, Germaine Feraldy, Jany Delille	Orchestre Symphonique de Paris and Chorus "Alexis Vlassof"
1945 – ATS LP (Act 2)	Ricordi/Italian	Arturo Toscanini	Nan Merriman, Edna Philips	NBC Symphony Orchestra and Robert Shaw Chorale
1947 – Decca LP/Grammofono 2000, Dutton CD (abridged recording)	Ricordi/Italian	Fritz Stiedry	Kathleen Ferrier, Ann Ayars, Zöe Vlachopoulos	Southern Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera
1952 – RCA (Volume 46 Complete RCA Collection), Urania CD (Act 2)	Ricordi/Italian	Arturo Toscanini	Nan Merriman, Barbara Gibson	NBC Symphony Orchestra and Robert Shaw Chorale
1954 – Heliodor LP (selection)	Dörffel/German	Arthur Rother	Margarete Klose, Anny Schlemm, Rita Streich	Münchner Philharmoniker and Chorus of the Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich
1960 – Le Chant du Monde LDC LP & CD[38]	Berlioz[39]/French	Charles Bruck	Rita Gorr, Nadine Sautereau, Edith Selig	Orchestre Lyrique de Radio France and Chœur de la Radiodiffusion Française
1960 (or 1962) – EMI LP (selezione)	Dörffel/German	Horst Stein	Hermann Prey, Pilar Lorengar, Erika Köth	Berliner Symphoniker and RIAS Kammerchor, Berlin

References

Notes

1. only for video recordings
2. if different from the performer of the role of Eurydice
3. very abridged (Rossi, p. 67)
4. with many cuts (Rossi, p. 65)
5. edition not reported in the list edited by Giuseppe Rossi (op. cit.)
6. the name of the interpreter of the "blessed spirit" is reported in ODE – Opera Discography Encyclopaedia by Carlo Marinelli
7. according to the reviewer (SS) for Gramophone, February 1995, p. 93, 'this performance follows a mixture of the Italian version and the French, including a number of favourite pieces from the latter ... but a very modest number of ballet movements, with none at all at the end'. For his part Rossi does not declare the version followed by this recording
8. with very lengthy cuts (Rossi, p. 67). On the contrary, according to Matteo Marazzi it is the Ricordi edition; this statement is also supported by the reviewer (JBS) for Gramophone, November 1993,p. 152
9. with cuts and additions from the Paris version (Rossi, p. 65)
10. according to Matteo Marazzi, it is, on the contrary, the Dörffel edition in German, but this is obviously a mistake, as the recording is actually sung in Italian
11. this is the first stereo recording (Rossi, p. 68)
12. Giudici writes that, as far as it may be worthy of note, this recording follows, as it were, philologically, the Ricordi edition, "without including passages extracted or reworked from the other" versions: the only exception is leaving out "the aria 'Addio o miei sospiri' at the close of Act 1, substituting for it the orchestral coda existing in the Vienna version" (p.254)
13. with additions extracted from the Paris version and vocal ornaments inserted by Mackerras himself (Rossi, p. 65), attempting at the "recreation of a credible eighteenth century singing style" (id., p. 68)
14. This studio recording conducted by Neumann was "the first that followed without cuts or additions the Vienna version according to the critical edition by Anna Amalia Abert and Ludwig Finscher" (Rossi, p. 68)
15. the inextricable character of the "patchwork" of different versions that has been carried out in this recording, is so described by Elvio Giudici, in a very colourful way: "Orpheus sides with Vienna in 'Chiamo il mio ben così' and with Berlioz revised by Ricordi as to the recitatives of Act 1 in general ...; to the Furies speaking the dialect of Vienna, he responds in the language derived from Berlioz, apart from 'Men tiranno [sic]' where he speaks Viennese; the aria of Act 3 follows Ricordi, but is concluded by the Vienna orchestral coda" (p. 254). "It is however also necessary – adds Giuseppe Rossi for his part, – to mention the sumptuous and lively cut of Solti's nineteenth century taste performance, and the prominence achieved by Horne's rendering of Orpheus, unassailable in terms of technical stature and breathtaking virtuosity in performing the florid passages of Bertoni's aria", Addio, addio, o miei sospiri (p. 68)
16. period instruments (Rossi, p. 69)
17. there are, in fact, two different (studio and live) audio recordings, practically contemporaneous with the video recording described in the next item
18. it is a video recorded contemporaneously with the two audio recordings described in the previous item
19. the part of Orpheus, transposed down an octave for baritone, is here performed by a Wagnerian heldentenor, while Cupid is sung by a boy soprano, with a general outcome to which Giuseppe Rossi refers as "one of the awkwardest chapters in the discography of the opera" (p. 69)
20. boy soprano
21. the Paris dances are added in appendix (Rossi, p. 69)
22. with the addition of "both the Air de Furie in Act 2, and the trio in Act 3" (Giudici, p. 258)
23. Live recording by the Hungarian Television, 3 March 1991. Source: Hungaroton
24. without the final ballet (Rossi, p. 65)
25. recording of a concerto performance at Le Quartz in Brest; period instruments
26. "leaves out the final ballet" (ODE – Opera Discography Encyclopaedia di Carlo Marinelli)
27. recorded live in June 2002 at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris
28. recording probably drawn from the 2002 performances (Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center) at the University of Maryland
29. video recording of the staging mounted at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in January 2008
30. adaptation – by David Alagna, director, and Frédérico Alagna, scenographer – of the 1774 Paris version: it is called "Absurd" in Paolo Gallarati's review published in La Stampa, Turin, 10 January 2008, and "a travesty to be gingerly avoided" in Robert Croan's (Opera News, June 2010 – vol. 74, n. 12)
31. the role of Cupid, renamed in this odd edition "Le guide" (the guide), is performed by a baritone
32. live recording of the performances held at Madrid's Teatro Real, between May and June 2008
33. La Fura dels Baus staging at Castell de Peralada Festival (reviews by Kirk McElhearn e di Robert J Farr in "BBC Music magazine").
34. Mark Mandel, Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice, «Opera News», February 2013 - Vol. 77, no. 13.
35. Film opera recorded at the Český Krumlov Castle (review by Max Loppert, "BBC Music magazine", 13 October 2014).
36. William R. Braun, Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice (Vienna version), «Opera News», August 2014 - Vol. 79, no. 2.
37. Three-disc set presenting both a mashup of the 1762 Vienna and 1774 Paris versions, in Italian (CD 1), and a complete recording of the 1762 version (CD 1 & 2); the first disc matches how the company had performed the opera in concert (cf: Deutsche Grammophon Website; James Manheim's review in AllMusic).
38. recording catalogued in (Spanish)TodOpera, p. 295 e p. 647 (accessed 1 August 2010); not listed by Giuseppe Rossi (op. cit.); according to operadis-opera-discography.org (accessed 14 May 2011) it contains "highlights"
39. operadis-opera-discography.org (accessed 14 May 2011)

Sources

• (Italian) Elvio Giudici, L'opera in CD e video – Guida all'ascolto, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1995. ISBN 88-428-0279-4
• Jeremy Hayes, Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice – The 1774 Paris version, essay published in 2010 by Decca Records in the booklet enclosed to Jesús Lópes-Cobos's 2008 recording (CD)
• Patricia Howard (ed.), C.W. von Gluck: Orfeo, Cambridge/New York/Melbourne, Cambridge University Press, 1981 (consulted edition: series "Cambridge Opera Handbooks" (paperback), 2010, ISBN 0-521-29664-1)
• Arthur Hutchings, Gluck and Reform Opera, essay published in 1970 by Decca Records in the booklet enclosed to Sir Georg Solti's 1969 recording (LP)
• Sir Charles Mackerras, Berlioz: the best of both worlds, in P. Howard (ed.), C.W. von Gluck: Orfeo (op. cit., pp. 99–105)
• (Italian) Carlo Manfriani and Sara Bertelli (eds.), 70th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino's Programme for the performances of Orfeo ed Euridice, 2007 (Bologna, Edizioni Pendragon. ISBN 978-88-8342-551-6)
• (Italian) Matteo Marazzi, Backstage: La discografia di Orfeo e Euridice, «Opera Disc»
• (Italian) ODE – Opera Discography Encyclopaedia by Carlo Marinelli
• operadis-opera-discography.org
• (Italian) Roberto Rossi, Discografia – Christoph Willibald Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice (Orphée et Eurydice), essay included in the 70th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino's Programme for the performances of Orfeo ed Euridice, 2007 (cf. above, C. Manfriani, pp. 60–71)