‘L’Orfeo’ at Wiener Staatsoper
This October, Rolando Villazón stars in the title role of Monteverdi’s masterpiece L’Orfeo at the Wiener Staatsoper.
Monteverdi’s favola in musica—widely regarded as the first true operatic masterwork—brings the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus to life, chronicling the mythical musician’s perilous descent into the underworld to rescue his beloved Eurydice following her untimely death. Villazón has earned international acclaim for his ventures into early music and Baroque repertoire, with Gramophone celebrating his charismatic stage presence, dramatic intensity, and commanding vocal delivery in historical works.
Conductor Stefan Gottfried leads the Concentus Musicus Wien and the ensemble from the harpsichord. Villazón is joined by Romanian soprano Florina Ilie as Euridice, with mezzo-soprano Nadezhda Karyazina portraying the allegorical roles of La musica, La speranza, and Eco. Mezzo-soprano Margaret Plummer performs as Proserpina and La messaggiera, bass Matheus França sings Plutone, bass Wolfgang Bankl appears as Caronte, and tenor Hiroshi Amako portrays Apollo.