Talk - Orpheus: “A Desecration Of The Gods!"

This was how critics referred to Orpheus in the Underworld in 1858. But Offenbach was not so much desecrating ancient Greece as their own bourgeois society. Opera della Luna are putting on performances at Stowe on July 18th and 19th. Orpheus is known for the infamous Can-Can. Professor Alistair Alcock, University of Buckingham Acting Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of Opera della Luna will explore Paris in the 1850s and the circumstances of the operetta's composition. Jeff Clarke, Artistic Director of Opera della Luna will look at the challenges of producing such a work for a modern audience.

Opera della Luna specialises in operas to make you smile. One critic said "If you believe the claim that opera is stuffy and elitist, this will change your mind forever". Come and find out how this is done