(m)Orpheus

By Christoph Gluck, with a Re-orchestration by Gareth Farr a Co-production with Black Grace

New Zealand Opera and Black Grace present a reimagining of Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, directed by Neil Ieremia.

In a dislocated future a young man struggles to come to terms with his loss. He had felt this pain before, but somehow it seems more real. His grief, like an old perfume, is as complex and overpowering as the frangipani scent that once filled his childhood home.

Like the rite of passage ritual he endured on his journey to manhood, he must once again leave this world behind and escape into the unknown to find his love.

From our unique place in Moana Oceania, New Zealand Opera and Black Grace present a reimagining of Christoph Gluck’s eighteenth-century masterpiece Orpheus and Eurydice. Blending our rich storytelling traditions with the themes of Greek tragedy, (m)Orpheus tells a story of a man, willing to risk everything for love but unable to find love in himself.

Well known composer and percussionist Gareth Farr has reorchestrated the work. The notes are identical to the original score, but the effect of using different instruments (some that didn’t even exist in Gluck’s day) changes the whole atmosphere of the piece. From a musical perspective this project is about honouring Gluck’s masterpiece and presenting it in a way that makes you think about what this story could mean in today’s society.

Costumes and set designed by Tracy Grant Lord.

Expected duration is 2 hours including a 20 minute interval.