Pre-Opera Talk: Orpheus & Eurydice

Pittsburgh Opera is bringing Orpheus & Eurydice to the Byham Theater this November, and if you've got tickets, there's a pre-opera talk to go with it. The talks happen one hour before each performance—Saturday, Nov 14; Friday, Nov 20; and Sunday, Nov 22—and they're free for all ticketholders. Kristin Gatch, Assistant to the General Director and Development Research Associate at Pittsburgh Opera, leads them, walking you through the composer, the story, and some of the juicier details of the opera before the curtain goes up.

This is a new production of Christoph Willibald Gluck's 1762 work, sung in French with English supertitles, and it's a first for Pittsburgh Opera. The version they're using features instrumentation by Hector Berlioz from 1859, and the stage adds original choreography with four dancers from Attack Theatre and a 33-musician orchestra. It's billed as the original Underworld love story, so if you're not familiar with the myth, the talk is a good way to get your bearings before the music starts.

If you're planning to go on Friday, Nov 20, there's a bit more on the table. That performance includes an audio commentary and a Meet the Artists session with General Director Bill Powers afterward, so you can stick around and talk shop after the show. The production is sponsored in part by The Gailliot Fund, with PNC as Season Sponsor and Ambridge Regional Distribution & Manufacturing Center as Friday Night Sponsor.

Just remember to get to the Byham Theater an hour early if you want to catch the talk. It's free with your ticket, so there's no extra cost to hear the background on the story and the production before the performance begins.