Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck

ACT ONE  A pleasant but secluded grove of laurel and cypress trees which encloses, in a clearing, the tomb of Eurydice on a small dais.  Overture  SCENE I  Orpheus and Chorus.  As the curtain rises to the sound of a mournful sinfonia, the stage is occupied by a group of shepherds and nymphs, followers of Orpheus, carrying wreaths of flowers and garlands of myrtle: while some of them burn incense, adorn the marble and strew flowers round the tomb, the others sing the following chorus, interrupted by the laments of Orpheus who, lying prostrate on a rock, from time to time passionately repeats the name of Eurydice.  Chorus  CHORUS  Ah! If around this funeral urn,  Eurydice, sweet spirit, you hover,  ORPHEUS  Eurydice!  CHORUS  Hear the plaints, the laments, the sighs  which we mourners utter for you.  ORPHEUS  Eurydice!  CHORUS  And hearken to your unhappy husband,  who, weeping,  calls you and makes moan.  ORPHEUS  Eurydice!  CHORUS  As when  the amorous dove  loses her dear companion.  Recitative  ORPHEUS  Enough, enough, my friends!  Your grief increases my own!  Scatter purple flowers,  place garlands on her tomb,  and leave me!  I would remain alone  among these dark and mournful shades  with the pitiless company of my misfortunes!  Ballet  Larghetto  Chorus  CHORUS  Ah! If around this funeral urn,  Eurydice, sweet spirit, you hover,  hear the plaints, the laments, the sighs  which we mourners utter for you.  At the end of the dance which follows, the Chorus leaves.  Aria  ORPHEUS  Thus do I call my love  when day shows itself  and when it disappears.  But ah! vain is my grief!  The idol of my heart  does not reply.  Recitative  Eurydice, Eurydice,  beloved shade, where are you?  Your husband weeps,  begs the gods for you  and asks for you among mortals,  yet scattered to the wind  are his tears  and his laments!  Aria  Thus do I seek my love  on these sad shores  where she died.  But to my grief  echo alone replies,  since it knew our love.  Recitative  Eurydice, Eurydice! Ah, that name  the seashore knows, and the woods  learnt from me!  In every valley  Eurydice resounds: on every tree  the wretched Orpheus has written:  Unhappy Orpheus,  Eurydice, my love,  dear Eurydice!  Aria  Thus do I mourn my love,  whether the sun gilds the day  or sinks into the waves.  The brook, taking pity on my plaints,  goes murmuring by  and answers me.  Recitative  Oh gods, cruel gods!  You, the pale inhabitant of Acheron and Avernus,  whose greedy hand was never stayed  by beauty or youth,  nor could keep it from death,  you stole from me my lovely Eurydice ?  oh cruel memory! ?  in the flower of her life.  I want her back from you, tyrannous gods!  I too have the courage, in the footsteps  of the most intrepid heroes,  to search for my wife,  my loved one, in your horror!  SCENE II  Amor and Orpheus  Recitative  AMOR  Love will assist you!  Orpheus, Jove has taken pity  on your grief.  It is granted you to pass  the sluggish waters of Lethe alive!  Go on your way to the shadowy abyss:  if with your singing you can placate the Furies,  the monsters, and pitiless death,  you can take back your beloved Eurydice  with you into the light of day.  ORPHEUS  But how? and when?  Can this be possible?  Explain!  AMOR  Have you courage enough  for this extreme trial?  ORPHEUS  You promise me Eurydice,  and you think I could be afraid?  AMOR  Then know on what conditions  you must complete the task.  ORPHEUS  Speak!  AMOR  Forbidden is the sight of Eurydice  until you are beyond the caves of the Styx!  And of this great prohibition you must not tell her!  Otherwise, you lose her again, and for ever;  and you will live unhappy,  a prey to your fierce desire!  Think on this: farewell!  Aria  AMOR  Restrain your glances,  refrain from words:  recall, if you suffer,  that you have to suffer  but a few moments more!  Do you not know  that sometimes lovers,  confused and trembling,  are blind to those they love,  and cannot speak?  Exit  Recitative  ORPHEUS  What said he? What did I hear?  That Eurydice will live  and I shall have her here?  And after all my torments,  in that moment,  torn by emotions,  I must not look at her,  not clasp her to my ***!  Unhappy wife!  What will she say?  What will she think?  I foresee her impatience:  I understand my anguish.  At the mere thought  I feel my blood congeal,  my heart falter.  But I can! I will!  I am resolved! The greatest,  most intolerable of ills is to be deprived  of the only being my soul adores.  Be with me, ye gods! I accept your decree.  A clap of thunder and a flash of lightning. Exit Orpheus.  ACT TWO  A fearsome cavernous region beyond the river Cocytus, darkened from afar by gloomy smoke lit up by flames which envelops that whole dreaded abode.  SCENE I  Orpheus and Chorus  Ballet  Maestoso  Chorus  CHORUS  Who is this  who draws near to us  through the gloom of Erebus  in the footsteps of Hercules  and of Pirithous?  Ballet  Presto  Chorus  CHORUS  Who is this  who draws near to us  through the gloom of Erebus  in the footsteps of Hercules  and of Pirithous?  May the savage Eumenides  overwhelm him with horror,  and the howls of Cerberus  terrify him  if he is not a god.  They dance, whirling round Orpheus, to frighten him.  Ballet  Maestoso  ORPHEUS  Oh be merciful to me,  ye Furies, ye spectres, ye angry shades!  CHORUS  No! ? No! ? No!  ORPHEUS  May my cruel grief  at least earn your pity!  Chorus  CHORUS  Wretched youth,  what seek you? What is your purpose?  Here dwell naught  but grief and lamenting  in these fearful,  mournful regions!  Aria  ORPHEUS  A thousand pangs I too suffer,  like you, o troubled shades;  my hell lies within me,  in the depths of my heart.  Chorus  CHORUS  Ah! What unknown  feeling of pity  sweetly comes  to soften  our implacable rage?  Aria  ORPHEUS  Ah! You would be less harsh  to my weeping and lamenting  if for but a moment you could know  what it is to languish for love.  Chorus  CHORUS  Ah! What unknown  feeling of pity  sweetly comes  to soften  our implacable rage?  Let the gates creak  on their black hinges,  and let the victor,  safe and free,  be allowed to pass.  The Furies and monsters begin to withdraw, and as they disperse from the stage they repeat the last strophe of the chorus, which continues until they finally disappear. When they have gone, Orpheus advances into the infernal regions.  SCENE II  A delightful region with verdant groves and flowerfilled meadows, extensive shady spots, and rivers and streams flowing through it.  Orpheus, then Chorus of heroes and heroines, later Eurydice.  Ballet  Andante  Arioso  ORPHEUS  How clear the sky! How bright the sun!  How new and serene is this light!  What sweet, enchanting harmony  do the song of the birds,  the purling of the streams,  the murmur of the breezes  make together!  This is the abode  of the blessed heroes.  Here everything breathes peace and contentment,  but not for me.  If I cannot find my idol,  there is no hope for me!  Her sweet voice,  her loving glances, her tender smile,  are my only, my blissful Elysium!  But where can she be?  gazing round the scene  Let me ask this happy crowd  which comes to meet me.  advancing towards the Chorus  Where is Eurydice?  CHORUS  Eurydice is coming!  Chorus  CHORUS  Come to the realms of bliss,  great hero, tender husband,  rare example in any age!  Amor returns Eurydice to you;  already she revives and recovers  all the flower of her beauty.  Ballet  Andante  Recitative  ORPHEUS  Kind spirits,  ah! suffer my impatience in peace!  If you were lovers  you would know for yourselves  the burning desire  which torments me,  which goes with me everywhere.  Not even in this  peaceful haven  can I be happy  if I do not find my love.  CHORUS  Here is Eurydice!  Chorus  CHORUS  Return, fair one, to your husband,  from whom merciful heaven  wishes you never more to be parted.  Do not lament your lot,  for a husband so true  can be called another Elysium.  Eurydice is led by a Chorus of heroines towards Orpheus, who, without looking at her and acting with great urgency, takes her by the hand and quickly leads her away. Then follows the dance of heroes and heroines, and the Chorus resumes its chant, which should continue until Orpheus and Eurydice are in fact outside the Elysian Fields.  ACT THREE  A dark cave that forms a tortuous labyrinth, obstructed by boulders separated by rocks completely covered with brushwood and wild plants.  SCENE I  Orpheus and Eurydice  Recitative  ORPHEUS  to Eurydice, whom he leads by the hand, still without looking at her  Come, follow my steps,  dearest, only object  of my faithful love.  EURYDICE  Is it you? Am I deceived?  Am I dreaming or awake? Or delirious?  ORPHEUS  Beloved wife,  I am Orpheus,  and I am still alive.  I came to search for you even in Elysium.  Soon you will see our sky, our sun,  our dear world once again!  EURYDICE  You are alive? I am living?  How? But by what art, by what means?  ORPHEUS  I will tell you all,  but do not ask more now!  Hasten with me,  and banish vain importunate fear from your soul!  You are no longer a shade,  and I am not a shade.  EURYDICE  What do I hear? Can it be true?  Merciful gods,  what joy this is!  In my love's arms,  in the sweet nets  of Love and ***,  I will live life anew!  ORPHEUS  Yes, my dearest!  But let us delay no more  and follow our road.  So cruel has fortune been with me  that I hardly can believe that I possess you.  I can scarcely believe myself.  EURYDICE  Yet a soft pledge of my tender love  in the first moment that you find me again,  that I see you again,  annoys you, Orpheus!  ORPHEUS  Ah, that is not true, but ...  know that ... listen ...  (O cruel decree!)  Dear Eurydice,  quicken your steps!  EURYDICE  But what distresses you  in this happy moment?  ORPHEUS  (What can I say?  I foresaw it!  This is the moment of danger!)  EURYDICE  You do not embrace me? Nor speak?  At least look at me.  pulling him so as to make him look at her  Say, am I still beautiful  as I was once before?  Look, has the colour in my cheeks  perhaps faded?  Listen, has the splendour of my eyes  that you loved,  and you called sweet,  perhaps dimmed?  ORPHEUS  (The more I listen,  the less can I resist.  Courage, Orpheus!)  Come, my beloved Eurydice!  Now is not the time  for these tendernesses;  any delay is fatal for us.  EURYDICE  One single look!  ORPHEUS  To look at you would be disastrous.  EURYDICE  Ah, faithless one!  And this is your welcome!  You deny me a glance  when I should expect  from a true lover  and tender husband  embraces and kisses.  ORPHEUS  (Cruel torture!)  Do come, and be silent!  Seeing her close, he takes her hand and tries to lead her forward.  EURYDICE  angrily withdrawing her hand  I be silent! Did I have  to suffer this too?  Have you then forgone  memory, love,  faith and constancy?  For what was I awakened from my soft repose,  now that you have extinguished  those chaste torches  so dear to both Love and ***?  Reply, traitor!  ORPHEUS  Do come, and be silent!  Duet  ORPHEUS  Come, do your husband's bidding!  EURYDICE  No, death is dearer to me  than life with you!  ORPHEUS  Cruel one!  EURYDICE  Leave me in peace!  ORPHEUS  No, my life, I will always come after you  like a haunting shadow.  EURYDICE  Then why are you so harsh?  ORPHEUS  I well could die of sorrow,  but I will never tell you why.  EURYDICE, ORPHEUS  Great is your gift, ye gods!  I recognise it and am grateful!  But the grief which accompanies  your gift is past all bearing!  Recitative  EURYDICE  What life is this now  which I am about to lead?  And what fatal,  terrible secret  does Orpheus hide from me?  Why does he weep and grieve?  Ah, I am as yet unaccustomed  to the sorrows  suffered by the living!  Beneath so great a blow  my constancy fails,  the light fades  before my eyes;  my breath, locked in my ***,  becomes laboured.  I tremble, I sway  and feel my heart wildly beating  with anguish and terror.  Aria  EURYDICE  Oh bitter moment!  Oh cruel fate!  To pass from death  to such sorrow!  I was used to the peace  of a tranquil oblivion;  but in these tempests  my heart is shattered.  I sway, I tremble ...  Recitative  ORPHEUS  Here is a new torment.  EURYDICE  Beloved husband,  will you leave me thus?  I am consumed with grief;  will you not console me?  Sorrow overwhelms my senses;  will you not aid me?  O stars, must I then die  once more  without an embrace from you,  without a farewell?  ORPHEUS  I can restrain myself no longer;  little by little  my reason is forsaking me.  Eurydice, I forget the decree  and myself! And …  He is about to turn but changes his mind.  EURYDICE  Orpheus, husband!  She falls to the stony ground.  Ah! ... I feel ... faint.  ORPHEUS  No, beloved! Listen!  about to turn and look at her  If you knew ...  ah, what am I doing?  How long  must I suffer  in this fearful hell?  EURYDICE  Dearest, remember ... me!  ORPHEUS  What torment!  Oh how my heart is torn!  I can resist no more ...  I rant ... I tremble ... I rave ...  Impulsively he turns and looks at her  Ah! My treasure!  EURYDICE  Merciful gods, what is happening?  I faint ... I die.  She dies.  ORPHEUS  Alas! What have I done?  Where has love's frenzy  driven me?  He rushes to her  Beloved Eurydice!  He shakes her  Eurydice! My wife!  Ah! She lives no longer,  I call her in vain!  Woe is me!  I have lost her again, and for ever.  Cruel decree! Oh death!  Oh bitter reminder!  There is no help,  no counsel for me!  I see only ? ah, cruel sight! –  the mournful signs  of my terrible plight.  Be satisfied, malevolent fate!  I am in despair!  Aria  ORPHEUS  What shall I do without Eurydice?  Where shall I go without my love?  Eurydice! Eurydice!  O heavens! Answer!  I am still true to you!  Eurydice! Eurydice!  Ah, there is no help,  no hope for me  either on earth nor in heaven!  Recitative  ORPHEUS  Ah! May grief end my life,  and for ever!  I am already upon the path  to black Avernus!  It is not a long road  which divides me from my love.  Yes, wait, dear shade of my beloved!  Wait, wait!  No, this time you shall not cross  Lethe's sluggish waters without your husband.  He tries to kill himself.  SCENE II  Amor and the previous  Recitative  AMOR  disarming him  Orpheus, what are you doing?  ORPHEUS  And who are you  who dare to restrain  my last fury,  which my plight justifies?  AMOR  Calm your anger, lay down your weapon,  and recognise Love!  ORPHEUS  Ah, is it you? I recognise you!  Grief clouded all my senses before.  Why have you come  in this bitter moment?  What do you want with me?  AMOR  To make you happy!  Orpheus, you have suffered enough for my glory;  I give you back your beloved Eurydice.  I seek no greater proof of your fidelity.  Here she is: she rises  to be reunited with you.  Eurydice rises as if waking from a deep sleep.  ORPHEUS  What do I see? Ye gods!  My wife!  He runs to embrace Eurydice.  EURYDICE  My husband!  ORPHEUS  Can I really embrace you?  EURYDICE  Can I clasp you to my ***?  ORPHEUS  to Amor  My gratitude to you.  AMOR  Enough!  Come, happy lovers,  let us go back to earth:  return to enjoy it!  ORPHEUS  Oh happy day!  Oh merciful Amor!  EURYDICE  Oh joyful, blissful moment!  AMOR  My contentment compensates  for a thousand woes!  SCENE III  A magnificent temple dedicated to Love. Amor, Orpheus and Eurydice, preceded by a large number of shepherds and shepherdesses, who have come to celebrate Eurydice's return and begin a lively dance.  Ballet  Grazioso - Allegro - Andante - Allegro  Chorus  ORPHEUS, CHORUS  Let Amor triumph,  and all the world  serve the empire  of beauty!  Never was sweeter  the liberty  of her sometimes  bitter chains!  AMOR  The cruelty  of a tyrant  causes now despair,  now distress.  But the lover  forgets his pains  in the sweet moment  of mercy.  CHORUS  Let Amor triumph,  and all the world  serve the empire  of beauty!  EURYDICE  Jealousy consumes  and devours,  but faith  restores.  And that suspicion  which torments the heart  at last turns  to delight.  CHORUS  Let Amor triumph,  and all the world  serve the empire  of beauty!