Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo was written in 1607, but this was its first performance at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia. Other operas by Monteverdi have been seen here in recent years as well: L’incoronazione di Poppea and Il ritorno d’Ulysse in patria. I would like to begin by highlighting the huge success achieved at this concert, especially by its great conductor, Leonardo García Alarcón, who has offered an extraordinary version of L’Orfeo, one which I enjoyed enormously.
There are no words that do justice to the musical leadership of Leonardo García Alarcón. I have rarely attended an opera where the emotion of the audience was so palpably felt, especially at the end of Act I with the entrance of the Messenger and his news of the death of Eurydice. It was a moment of emotion that one will not forget, and the audience expressed their gratitude for Alarcón’s extraordinary conducting. He had a wonderful Capella Mediterranea under his command, and I cannot help but mention one of the violinists who jumped up and did pirouettes on the stage while playing the violin. The Choeur de Chambre de Namur was also noteworthy. Among its members were soloists who later played the roles of Shepherds and Nymphs.