Director: Axel Ranisch
Loosely based upon one of the most enduring and beloved classic Greek tales and in the opera world since its inception, wherein the bard Orpheus descends to the Underworld to escort the soul of his dearest Eurydice back to the world of the living, this cinematic re-interpretation by Axel Ranisch switches the dynamic: Nele, a call centre agent, is Orpheus who falls in love with a petty criminal street dancer Kolya, her Eurydice. In this opera movie, she expresses through opera singing, and he through his dance moves. For true love, she descends into the underground world, facing her old demons and in the process learning to trust again. An opera pastiche between Puccini, Händel, Wagner, Catalani, Monteverdi, original rearrangement of Gluck and modern music of Christian Steiffen, ORPHEA IN LOVE is a profound statement on the relevancy of opera in the modern context: always bestowed with the highest concentration of creativity, innovation, and integration with other art forms as it keeps evolving.
Just as classical Orpheus, it is the celebration of the universal power of music. Through dance and music, the outsider couple understands each other without words. This love for music as a universal means of expression radiates from every scene in ORPHEA IN LOVE: it doesn't just live on opera stages, it cannot be bought, instrumentalized or locked up.
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