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, Oct 8-23 – Arthaus DVD (later on EMI) 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, María 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 Chorus and Orchestra of 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 Michel Piquemal vocal ensemble
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
2018[38] - Blu-ray/DVD Concorde Paris (1774)/
French 		Michele Mariotti/
Hofesh Shechter and
John Fulljames 		Juan Diego Flórez,
Christiane Karg,
Fatma Said 		Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala, Milan
Hofesh Shechter Company (dance)
2018[39] - Blu-ray/DVD C Major Paris (1774)[40]/
French 		Harry Bickett/
John Neumeier 		Dmitry Korchak,
Andriana Chuchman,
Lauren Snouffer 		Orchestra and Chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago
Joffrey Ballet (dance)
2018[41] – Blu-ray/DVD Naxos Berlioz[42]/French Raphaël Pichon/
Aurélien Bory 		Marianne Crebassa,
Helene Guilmette,
Lea Desandre 		Orchestra and Chorus of the Ensemble Pygmalion

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[43] Berlioz[44]/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. ^ a b only for video recordings
  2. ^ a b if different from the performer of the role of Eurydice
  3. ^ very abridged (Rossi, p. 67)
  4. ^ a b c with many cuts (Rossi, p. 65)
  5. ^ a b c d 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 Stanley Sadie in his review 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. ^ a b c 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 Amalie 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. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ a b c d 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 Archived 2012-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ a b c 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 [1] e di Robert J Farr [2] 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 [3] 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. ^ live recording of performances held at La Scala in March 2018.
  39. ^ live recording of performances held at the Chicago Lyric Opera in 2018.
  40. ^ Three of the finale dances are cut (Richard Lawrence, Gluck. Orphée et Eurydice (Pichon. Bicket), «Gramophone», January 2020).
  41. ^ live recording of performances held at the Paris Théâtre national de l'Opéra-Comique on 16 and 18 October 2018.
  42. ^ The overture is replaced with the Larghetto from Gluck’s ballet Don Juan, which there precedes the Dances of the Furies. Moreover the finale is completely rearranged, by cutting the trio 'Tendre Amour' – as Berlioz too did – and the whole dance divertissement. The opera concludes "with the second choral lament from Act 1 and the ensuing Ritournelle, heavily accented" (Richard Lawrence, Gluck. Orphée et Eurydice (Pichon. Bicket), «Gramophone», Gennaio 2020).
  43. ^ recording catalogued TodOpera, p. 295 and p. 647 (in Spanish) (accessed 1 August 2010); not listed by Giuseppe Rossi (op. cit.); according to operadis-opera-discography.org (accessed 14 May 2011) it contains "highlights"
  44. ^ operadis-opera-discography.org (accessed 14 May 2011)

Sources

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