Orpheus and Eurydice "revived" in Tokyo

The New National Theatre in Tokyo presents a new production of Christoph Willibald Gluck's opera Orpheus and Eurydice from December 4 to 7, 2025. The performance is under the direction and creative vision of choreographer and director Saburo Teshigawara, who is also responsible for the sets, costumes, lighting, and choreography. Maestro Ryuichiro Sonoda conducts the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Theatre Chorus. The cast includes Italian actress Giulia Semenzato as Eurydice, renowned mezzo-soprano Sara Mingardo as Orpheus, and Japanese tenor Yuki Sugiyama as Love. The production intertwines dramatic song and dance in a production that strives for a complete fusion of voice, movement, and stage space. The myth of Orpheus, among the most famous in Western tradition, tells of the hero's journey to the Underworld to bring his beloved Eurydice back to life, with the sole condition of never turning back. When Orpheus transgresses, he loses her forever. It is at that moment that the famous lament What shall I do without Eurydice? arises, the emotional climax of the opera. The story, however, concludes with a happy ending, thanks to the intervention of Love, who reunites the couple with an act of divine grace. Teshigawara's direction emphasizes the ritual and visionary aspect of the story, accentuating the tension between shadow and light, stillness and dance. The scenes set in Hades, with the Furies and spirits, take on an intense visual power thanks to the integration of the choreographic language and the refined lighting of the staging. The orchestra and chorus convey with balance and precision Gluck's reformist intent, which with Orpheus and Eurydice aimed to transcend Baroque conventions in favor of a more fluid and dramatically coherent work. This new production confirms the New National Theatre's role as a benchmark for opera in Japan: a modern and dynamic production house, capable of reinterpreting the classical repertoire with a contemporary sensibility. Orpheus and Eurydice is presented in a version that combines philological respect and visual boldness, offering Japanese audiences the opportunity to witness one of the great stories of classical mythology transposed into opera.