ORPHEE ET EURYDICE Will Come to Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen will present Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice in a concert performance this season. Performances are scheduled for October 27 and November 10, 2026.

The production presents the French version of Gluck’s musical drama, featuring the iconic aria J’ai perdu mon Eurydice. After Orpheus brings his beloved Eurydice back from the underworld through the power of his music, he loses her a second time. Gluck’s opera moves away from the bravura arias and intricate plot twists of Baroque opera, placing the singing, libretto and orchestration in service of the tragedy. The work features three protagonists — Orphée, Eurydice and Amour — alongside a dramatically active chorus.

Gluck originally wrote the opera in Italian in 1762 and produced a French version for the Paris Opéra in 1774. Opera Ballet Vlaanderen will present Hector Berlioz’s 1859 reworking, which includes additional music and is described as a full French opera rather than a copy of the original.

Francesco Corti will conduct, with Jan Schweiger serving as chorusmaster. The cast features Sophie Rennert as Orphée, Ana Quintans as Eurydice, Jiayu Jin as Amour and Lies Verholle as Une ombre heureuse.

The performance will run approximately two hours, including an intermission. It will be sung in French with Dutch and English surtitles. The concert performance will not include staging.