Opéra de Baugé 2025 - "Orphée aux enfers" à Baugé

Opéra de Baugé 2025 - "Orphée aux enfers" in Baugé

Orphée aux enfers by Jacques Offenbach
Offenbach was a republican. Although Emperor Napoleon III granted him French citizenship and the Légion d'honneur, he often ridiculed his court in his operas.
Orphée aux Enfers is a parody of the court ballets of Louis XIV and Louis XV. The costumes, in which the king and his courtiers pretend to be gods of Greece and Rome, the designs of which still exist, give an idea of the pride and pretension of these shows.
In Offenbach's irreverent opera, the story of Orpheus is turned on its head. Orpheus wants to get rid of his wife, not save her. The gods have had enough of ambrosia and of having to give humans a false image of virtue. This mockery is accompanied by delicious, lively music, including the famous cancan.
This production is a repeat, with a few changes, of our 2018 production.
Musical Direction - Nicolas Bercet
Artistic Director - Bernadette Grimmett