La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
66 E 4th St
New York
United States
Natacha Nocetti - Victoria Gaeta. (Image courtesy of the artists)
Tango-Opera: Euridice, una sombra
Join us for a new tango-infused version of Gluck's classic opera, set in a cabaret in Buenos Aires in the 1930s.
Overview
On July 2, we will host this concert in person at LaMaMa Experimental Theater Club, 66 E 4th St. Tickets are free; registrations will be honored up until 6:45 pm, after which entry will be granted as space permits. Americas Society members enjoy early, reserved seating at the event. Not a member? Join today! Contact membership@as-coa.org with any questions.
Video of the concert will be released at a later date. Remember to follow us to watch this and other exciting performances.
America Society is hosting the U.S. premiere of Euridice, una sombra, a tango version of Gluck's most famous opera, Orfeo ed Euridice. This reimagined version is set in a Buenos Aires cabaret in the early twentieth century.
*Note: This production is intended for mature audiences only. It contains scenes of a sexual nature that some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.
Euridice, una sombra
Tango-opera based on Orfeo ed Euridice, by C.W. Gluck with libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi
- Overtura
- Wedding and abduction: Trionfi Amore
- Disappearance: Ah, se intorno a quest'urna funesta
- Search: Chiamo il mio ben così
- Deal: Gli sguardi trattieni
- In the brothel: Chi mai dell' Erebo - Deh, placatevi - Misero giovane - Ah, quale incognito - Men tiranne
- Reunion: Vieni, appaga il tuo consorte
- Betrayal and death: Che fiero momento
- Heartbreak: Che farò senza Euridice
- Procession: Ballo
- Final repose: Vieni a' regni del riposo
Cast
Orfeo: María Victoria Gaeta
Euridice: Nacha Nocetti
Amore: Emiliano Bulacios
Choir: Alexa Cardona, Frida Ruiz-Berman, Valéria Fernandez, Mikki Sodergren, Nick Lehane, Joshua Rodriguez, Domenico Corridore, S Joshua Sheppard
Orchestra: Loïc da Silva, bandoneon | Federico Díaz, Matthew Kaplan, guitars | Pedro Giraudo, bass
Direction and libretto: Mariana Ciolfi
Musical direction and arrangements: Sebastian Zubieta
Costumes: Stella Maris Müller
Lighting design: Fabricio Ballarati
Peroduction assistant: Sami Silverthorn
In collaboration with
About the Production
This tango version of Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice, with direction and dramaturgy by Mariana Ciolfi and musical arrangements by Sebastian Zubieta, is based on the version Gluck premiered in Vienna in 1762. The characters are transported to a carnival celebration in Buenos Aires in the 1930s, and the score is re-orchestrated for a tango quartet. Gluck's arias are the musical focus, while the recitatives, which traditionally provide dramatic context, are replaced by poetic texts written by great tango lyricists such as José María Contursi and Emilio Fresedo, compiled by Ciolfi.
The director set out to "recreate the myth of Orpheus, based on Gluck's opera, from a female perspective during carnival celebrations, which have traditionally been a space of social subversion where anyone can be a 'king' or 'queen' for a day. All inequalities are erased during the festivities, but at the end of the day each one returns to their reality, and those socially forbidden behaviors that surfaced under the masks reveal who we really are."
Euridice and Orfeo, both children of Italian immigrants, meet at a Buenos Aires carnival ball in the late 1930s, dressed as a bride and a groom. They fall in love immediately and decide to get married but, amid the ruckus, Amor, a pimp, kidnaps Euridice. When Orfeo realizes she is missing, he begins a fruitless and frantic search at the end of which, hopeless, he plunges into sadness. Amor finds him drinking at a bar and, tricking him, provides the key to finding his wife, whom Amor has imprisoned at a nearby brothel. He warns Orfeo not to try to look at Euridice or tell her what is going on, or he will lose her forever. Orfeo enters the brothel and the couple manages to find each other and exchange a few words of infinite joy. Then Amor bursts into Euridice's room and, taking advantage of the fact that Orfeo cannot see or touch her, violently forces her to demand proof of Orfeo's love. Orfeo eventually gives in, falling into the trap laid by Amor, who kills Euridice. Orfeo, distraught, takes his own life.
This production was commissioned by Americas Society and Fundación Williams, and premiered in Buenos Aires in 2023.
Funders
The MetLife Foundation Music of the Americas concert series is made possible by the generous support of Presenting Sponsor MetLife Foundation.
The 2024-2025 series is also supported, in part, by the Howard Gilman Foundation, Augustine Foundation, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Mex-Am Cultural Foundation, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, and Mid Atlantic Arts.
