Offenbach: Orphée aux enfers

Herbert Wernicke's production of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld transforms Olympus into a fin-de-siècle setting inspired by Brussels’ famous café La Mort Subite. The gods appear in evening dress, and their antics culminate in a spectacular coup de théâtre as a steam locomotive hurtles into Hell. Among a strong ensemble cast are Alexandru Badea as Orpheus, Elizabeth Vidal as Eurydice, and Dale Duesing as a suavely commanding Jupiter. Patrick Davin conducts the La Monnaie Chorus and Orchestra, and Offenbach's irresistible can-can remains, as ever, the exuberant highlight of this brilliantly imagined staging.