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Opera Explained – Orfeo

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What to expect

Monteverdi’s Orfeo, first performed in 1607, generates a special excitement because it is the first unquestioned masterpiece of opera. Notable for its precise orchestration and powerful drama it was a groundbreaking work. It concerns the legend of Orpheus, the demi-god whose music had the power to conquer the forces of Hell and to bring his wife back, briefly, to life. The extracts used in this introduction are from Naxos’s full recording; it uses authentic period instruments, which serve to evoke the early Baroque period of the opera’s composition.
Author Thomson Smillie
Narrator David Timson
Duration 1 hour and 16 minutes
ISBN 9781843793311
Format Audiobook
Publisher Naxos AudioBooks
Genre Music, Opera, The Arts
Availability AU, GB, IE, US

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