Gluck's acknowledged masterpiece may seem a somewhat lightweight vehicle (in terms of its physical scale) to convey the Festival's love of full-scale opera in these straitened times. And it has appeared in Edinburgh with a reasonable degree of frequency. However this novel interpretation, imported from Australia, was distinctly different in its approach, and visually spectacular.
The musical element was certainly in safe hands, with baroque specialist Laurence Cummings leading the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and a chorus provided by Scottish Opera regulars. In Iestyn Davies there is unlikely to be a more convincing interpreter of the central role at present. Last time he sang it here, in 2019, the presentation was in concert form, but here he was fully involved in the drama, moving nimbly around the stage and mixing with aplomb among the dancer acrobats of the Circa Ensemble.
The solo soprano Samantha Clarke, imported with the production, sang both soprano roles, adding the short appearance of Amor to the more substantial Euridice. In her final scene she was hoisted into a swing, and happily sang from aloft.
The contribution of the dozen members of the Circa Ensemble were what made this staging very special indeed. The performance began with one of the women dangling from the flies on a kind of bungee rope, on which she proceeded to perform circus-style acrobatics and contortions during the overture. The team performed amazing acrobatics throughout the performance, usually adding to the emotional impact of the music. There were only a few instances where their exertions seemed to distract from the emotional intensity of the opera, but on the whole the concept was most impressive.
The Playhouse was absolutely packed at the last of three performances, a Saturday matinee. The spectators went wild at the end, and an experienced opera-goer sitting nearby was heard to say that it was the best opera production he had seen in years!
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