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For her farewell operatic performance in 1982, Dame Janet Baker, one of the 20th century's finest operatic performers, bowed out with her signature role in this classic production of one of opera's purest masterpieces. The story is archetypal: a love so strong that it conquers death. It is told with a deceptive simplicity that does not deprive it of great depth. It was a wise choice for a momentous occasion, and the resulting video is a classic of the highest quality--noble, superbly controlled, expertly balancing intense passion and deep serenity. It is a superb memento of a great artist. Orfeo ed Euridice makes enormous demands of the mezzo-soprano, which Baker fulfills precisely, but it is not quite a one-woman show. Elisabeth Speiser (Euridice) and Elizabeth Gale (the God of Love) are not quite up to her level, but they provide adequate support. The chorus of demons is vividly scary in its finest moments; the blessed spirits are rather static and the concluding dances rather long, but they precisely embody the spirit of Gluck's limpid music. Raymond Leppard conducts with a detailed knowledge of the proper style. --Joe McLellan
![Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice / Leppard, Baker, Speiser, Gale, Glyndebourne Festival Opera [VHS]](/picts/logo.jpg){kind=logo}
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