Sun, August 23rd, 2026
Summer Festival: Orfeo ed Euridice

Every singer dreams of it: to sing so beautifully and movingly that even wild animals purr peacefully, the Furies hum dreamily, and the stones begin to weep. This is precisely the art mastered by Orpheus, the legendary hero who knew how to enchant everyone with his song—even the demons in the underworld. No wonder his story became one of the most popular operatic subjects: the oldest surviving music drama, dating from 1600, is based on this ancient myth. But the most famous Orpheus opera was created by Christoph Willibald Gluck, and since he wrote the title role for a castrato, that is, for a high voice, it was soon also sung by women. The great Cecilia Bartoli loves this role: "Orfeo transports us to another world with his magical voice. He celebrates love, even descending into hell to find his beloved Eurydice again. With this music, one can touch God—with one's ears and one's soul." Bartoli won't dazzle with coloratura, but rather with heavenly cantilenas and delicate nuance. And we'll be on cloud nine.

Program:
4:00 p.m. Pre-concert talk with Susanne Stähr (KKL Luzern, Auditorium)

Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714–1787)
Orfeo ed Euridice (after the Parma version of 1769)

Concert performance with German and English surtitles.

This performance has no intermission.

Tickets available from March 24, 2026 | 10:00 AM (CET)