CreatripTeam

At the closing performance of the 28th Chuncheon High Voice Music Festival (artistic director Kang Woo-seong), Gluck’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice was staged at Hallym University Ilsong Art Hall. The production paired the Orpheus myth—his doomed attempt to bring back his wife Eurydice from the underworld—with restrained Baroque musicality and contemporary choreography (백영태’s ballet). Set elements even referenced a subway station to root the myth in the present. Collegium Musicum Seoul emphasized sorrow over spectacle, using lyrical, pared-down Baroque textures to convey love, regret and fate. Baroque violinist Baek Seung-rok and harpsichord-accompanied strings heightened the emotional climax in Act III, while conductor Kwon Seong-jun and countertenor Ji Pil-du led a focused, delicate performance. Soloists—including soprano Lee Hyo-jin (Euridice) and 정꽃님 (Amor)—favored emotional authenticity over virtuosic flash. The famous aria “Che farò senza Euridice?” was presented with measured grief and sincerity, leaving the audience with sustained applause and reflection.