Orpheus in the Underworld is a comic opera by the German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach. The libretto (text) was written by the French author Ludovic Halévy and the French playwright Hector-Jonathan Crémieux. The opera was first performed in Paris on Oct. 21, 1858. A revised and longer version was produced in 1874. The opera’s French title is Orphée aux Enfers.
Orpheus in the Underworld is loosely based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus is a musician, and Eurydice is his wife. The opera uses the Roman names of the many gods and goddesses who appear in it.
Orpheus in the Underworld is noted for its lively score and broad humor. Some critics of the time attacked it as disrespectful toward classical mythology. Most of the gods and goddesses take human form and behave in a human way. In addition to Orpheus and Eurydice, the main characters include Jupiter; Pluto, god of the underworld; Venus, goddess of beauty; and Diana, goddess of the hunt.
The opera is best known for the “Galop Infernal,” which became famous as the music for the dance known as the cancan. The cancan is a lively dance that features high kicks. Other musical pieces include the drinking song “Vive le vin!” (“Hurrah for the wine”), sung in the underworld; Eurydice’s beautiful aria “Bel insecte à l’aile dorée” (“Pretty fly, with gilded wing”); and Diana’s hunting song “Quand Diane descend dans la plaine” (“When Diana comes down the plain”). The Austrian composer Carl Binder created a famous overture for the opera in 1860 that ends with the cancan music.
See also Eurydice ; Offenbach, Jacques ; Orpheus .
