| Recordings of Gluck's Orfeo | updated 1/8/07 | |||||
| Notes on the versions of Gluck's Orfeo | ||||||
| 1762 Vienna version, in Italian. Role of Orfeo written for alto castrato. | ||||||
| 1769 revision of 1762 version for soprano castraro Orfeo. | ||||||
| 1774 Paris version, Orphée et Eurydice, in French. Role of Orfeo written for tenor. Many additions were made to the score, including the well-known dances. | ||||||
| 1859 Berlioz edition, Orphée et Eurydice, in French. Role of Orfeo written for mezzo Pauline Viardot, who contributed cadenzas and ornaments. | ||||||
| Some modern performances translate this edition back into Italian. | ||||||
| 1866 Leipzig score, ed. By Alfred Dorffel; based on Berlioz, but with 1774 instrumentation and Italian libretto. | ||||||
| 1889 Ricordi; composite Milan edition, incorporates most of the 1774 Paris and Berlioz versions, retranslated into Italian. Many recordings are loosely based on this edition. | ||||||
| Year | Label, Timing | Version & Language | Conductor / Orch. | Orfeo | Euridice | Amore |
| 1935 | Columbia (78 rpm); Pearl 9169 (CDs) | 1774 Paris Version, French | Henri Tomasi / Chor und Orchester Alexis Vlasoff | Alice Raveau (contralto) | Germaine Féraldy | Jany Delille |
| 1940 | Guild (mono) | 1889 Ricordi; Italian | Erich Leinsdorf / Metropolitan Opera, NY (live) Jan.20 | Kerstin Thorborg (mezzo) | Jarmila Novotna | Marita Farell |
| 1947 | Decca (mono) | 1889 Ricordi; Italian | Fritz Stiedry / Southern PO; Glyndebourne Chorus | Kathleen Ferrier (mezzo) | Ayars | Vlachopolous |
| 1951 | EMI (mono) | 1889 Ricordi; Italian | Bruck / Netherlands Opera (live, Jan. 14 Holland Festival) | Kathleen Ferrier (mezzo) | Greet Koeman | Nel Duval |
| 1951 | Cetra, Urania, Walhall | 1889 Ricordi; Italian | Wilhelm Fürtwangler / La Scala Milan | Fedora Barbieri (mezzo) | Magda Gabory | Hilde Güden |
| 1952 | Acanta, Cantus, Preiser, Urana. 129' | German | Artur Martin Rother / Chor und Orchester der Städtischen Oper Berlin | Margarete Klose | Erna Berger | Rita Streich |
| 1953 | Walhall WLCD 0113 | Michael Gielen / Orchester des ORF Wien; Chor der Wiener Staatsoper (live) | Hilde Rössl-Majdan | Sena Jurinac | Emmy Loose | |
| 1955 | GDS 21018; Melodram; 117'25 | Monteux / Metropolitan Opera, NY (live) April 9 | Rise Stevens (mezzo) | Hilde Güden | Laurel Hurley | |
| 1955 | EMI (mono) | 1774 Paris version, omits Orphee's aria 'L'espor renait'; French | Louis Froment / Paris Conservatory Orch. & Chorus | Nicolai Gedda (tenor) | Janine Micheau | Liliane Berton |
| 1956 | Philips (mono), 115 min | 1774 Paris version, omits Orphee's aria 'L'espor renait'; French | Hans Rosbaud / Lamoureux Orchestra; Roger Blanchard Vocal Ensemble | Léopold Simoneau (tenor) | Suzanne Danco | Pierrette Alarie |
| 1956 | Eklipse EKRCD 28, 102'22 | Antonio Pedrotti / Chor & Orchester der RAI Milano (live) | Ebe Stignani | Ester Orell | Bruna Rizzoli | |
| 1957 | RCA (mono), 130 min | 1889 Ricordi | Pierre Monteux / Rome Opera Orch. & Chorus | Rise Stevens (mezzo) | Lisa della Casa | Roberta Peters |
| 1956 | DG, 95 min | Composite (Orfeo role transposed down one octave); German | Ferenc Fricsay / Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra; Berlin Motet Choir; Berlin RIAS Chamber Choir | Dietrich-Fischer Dieskau (Baritone) | Maria Stader | Rita Streich |
| 1958 | Omega Opera Archiv 986 | Max Rudolf / Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus (Live) | Rise Stevens (mezzo) | Lucine Amara | Emilia Cundari | |
| 1959 | DG, 85 min | 1889 Ricordi; Italian | H. von Karajan / Vienna PO; Vienna State Opera Chorus (Live, Salzburg Festival) | Giulietta Simionato (mezzo) | Sena Jurinac | Graziella Sciutti |
| 1971 | Movimento Musica | Richard Bonynge / Metropolitan Opera (Live) | Grace Bumbry (mezzo) | Gabriella Tucci | Roberta Peters | |
| 1962 | EMI 29 1261 (LP) | Horst Stein / Berliner Symphoniker | Hermann Prey (baritone) | Pilar Lorengar | Erika Köth | |
| 1962 | Omega Opera Archiv 1573 | Jean Morel / Metropolitan Opera (live) | Kerstin Meyer | Lucine Amara | Anneliese Rothenberger | |
| 1963 | RCA, 129 min | 1889 Ricordi; omits 'Addio, o miei sospiri'. Italian | Renato Fasano / Virtuosi di Roma; Rome Polyphonich Chorus | Shirley Verrett (mezzo) | Anna Moffo | Judith Raskin |
| 1966 | EMI. Vanguard, 113 min | 1762 Vienna Version; Italian (with some additions from 1774 French) | Charles Mackerras / Vienna State Opera Orch; Vienna Academy Choir | Maureen Forrester (mezzo) | Teresa Stich-Randall | Hanny Steffek |
| 1964 | Orfeo, 83 min | 1762 Vienna Version (Orfeo role transposed down one octave); Italian | Ferdinand Leitner / Cappella Coloniensis; Cologne Radio Chorus (Live, Nov.8) | Dietrich-Fischer Dieskau (Baritone) | Elisabeth Söderström | Ruth-Margret Pütz |
| 1967 | DG, 92 min | 1762 Vienna Version (Orfeo role transposed down one octave); Italian | Karl Richter / Munich Bach Orch; Munich Bach Choir | Dietrich-Fischer Dieskau (Baritone) | Gundula Janowitz | Edda Moser |
| 1968 | EMI. Berlin Classics, 100 min | 1762 Vienna version; Italian | Václav Neumann / Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Leipzig Radio Chorus | Grace Bumbry (mezzo) | Anneliese Rothenberger | Ruth-Margret Pütz |
| 1969 | Decca, 107 min | Composite, drawing from 1762, 1774 and Berlioz editions; Italian | Georg Solti / Royal Opera Covent Garden | Marilyn Horne (mezzo) | Lorengar | Helen Donath |
| 1970 | Opera d'Oro, 100 min. | 1762 Vienna version; Italian | Ozawa / RAI Orchestra & Chorus, Turin (Live) | Shirley Verrett (mezzo) | Antonietta Stella | Mariella Adani |
| 1975 | Gala, 86 min. | 1762 Vienna version; Italian | Hans Vonk / Residentieorkest Den Haag; Omroepkor Amsterdam | Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo) | Catherine Malfitano | Barbara Hendricks |
| 1980 | Hungaraton | 1762 Vienna version; Italian | Ervin Lukacs / Hungarian State Opera | Julia Hamari (mezzo) | Veronika Kincses | Maria Zempleni |
| 1981 | EMI, 103 min | 1762 Vienna version, Italian | Muti / Philharmonia Orch; Ambrosian Opera Chorus | Agnes Baltsa (mezzo) | Margaret Marshall | Edita Gruberová |
| 1982 | Accent, 105 min. | 1762 Vienna version, Italian | Kuijken / La Petite Band; Collegium Vocale (period instruments) | Rene Jacobs (countertnr) | Magdalena Falewicz | Marianne Kweksilber |
| 1982 | Metronome, 102 min. | 1762 Vienna version, Italian | Heinz Panzer / Cologne Philharmonic Orch; Dortmund Music Society Chorus | Peter Hofman (tenor) | Julia Conwell | Allan Bergius (boy soprano) |
| 1983 | Erato, RCA, 129 min | Composite, drawing from 1762, 1774 and Berlioz editions; Italian | Raymond Leppard / London Philharmonic Orchestra; Glyndebourne Festival Chorus | Janet Baker (mezzo) | Elisabeth Speiser | Elizabeth Gale |
| 1988 | Capriccio, 114 min? | 1762 Vienna version, Italian | Hartmut Haenchen / CPE Bach Chamber Orch., Berlin Radio Chorus | Kowalski (countertnr) | Schellenberger-Ernst | Fliegner (boy soprano) |
| 1991 | Sony CD 48040, 83 min. | 1762 Vienna version, Italian | Frieder Bernius / Tafelmusik, Stuttgart Chamber Choir | Michael Chance (countertenor) | ||
| 1987 | Eurodisc/BMG, 93 min | 1762 Vienna version, Italian | Leopold Hager / Munich Radio Orchestra; Bavarian Radio Chorus | Marjana Lipovsek | Lucia Popp | Julie Kaufmann |
| 1989 | EMI, 89 min. | 1859 Berlioz ed., French | John Eliot Gardiner / Lyon Opera Orch., Monteverdi Chorus | von Otter (mezzo) | Hendricks | Fournier |
| 1991 | Sonpact SPT 92002 | 1762 Vienna version, Italian | Joseph Lamarca; Choeur d'Aix en Musique, Orchestre de Chambre d'Aix-en-Provence (Live, July) | Alain Aubin (countertenor) | Claudine Cheriez | Isabelle Lopez |
| 1991 | Philips, 87'33 | 1762 Vienna version, Italian | Gardiner / English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir | Derek Lee Ragin (countertenor) | Sylvia McNair | Cyndia Sieden |
| 1993 | Forlane 16720-1, 98'03 | 1859 Berlioz ed., French | Patrick Peire; Capella Brugensis, Collegium Instrumentale Brugense | Ewa Podles (contralto) | Raphaëlle Farman | Marie-Noëlle de Callataÿ |
| 1994 | Astrée, 86 min | 1762 Vienna version, Italian (2 versions???) | Malgoire / La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy; Namur Choir (Live) | James Bowman (countertnr) | Lynne Dawson | Claron McFadden |
| 1995 | Teldec, 109 min | 1859 Berlioz ed., French | Donald Runnicles / San Francisco Opera | Jennifer Larmore (mezzo) | Upshaw | Hagley |
| 1998 | Arts Music, 104 min | Composite | Peter Maag / Galicia Symphony Orch., Madrid Comunidad Chorus | Ewa Podles (contralto) | Ana Rodrigo | Elena de la Merced |
| 1999 | SOLFA SR 000100 (2 CDs) | Albert Argudo / Orquesta Simfònica del Vallés; Coro de los Amics del'opera de Sabadell (Live) | Jordi Domènech (countertenor) | Miki Mori | Cristina Obregón | |
| 1998 (Live) | Naxos, 67 min | 1762 Vienna version, Italian | Arnold Östman / Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra | Kerstin Avemo (mezzo) | Ann-Christin Biel | Maya Boog |
| 2001 | HM France, 91 min | 1762 Vienna version, Italian | Rene Jacbos / Freiburg Baroque Orch. | Bernarda Fink (contralto) | Veronica Cangemi | Marie Cristina Kiehr |
| 2002 | DG Arkiv, 109 min. | 1774 Paris Version, French | Marc Minkowski / Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble (Live) | Richard Croft (tenor) | Mireille Delunsch | Marion Harousseau |
| 2002 | Naxos, 86 min. | 1774 Paris Version, French | Ryan Brown /Chor & Opera Lafayette Orchestra | Jean-Paul Fouchécourt | Catherine Dubosc | Suzie LeBlanc |
| 2003 | Premiere Opera Ltd. 1475-2 (2 CDs) | Bruno Weil / Chor & Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Live) | Daniela Barcellona | Mariella Devia | Elena de la Merced | |
| VIDEO | ||||||
| 1982 | Home Vision | Italian | R. Leppard / London Philharmonic | Janet Baker (mezzo) | E. Speiser | E. Gale |
| 1991 | Home Vision, Arthaus, 77 min. | Italian | H. Haenchen / Royal Opera Covent Garden | Jochen Kowalski (male alto) | G. Webster | J. Budd |
| 1993 | ABC Video (Aus) 108 min | 1774, French | Marco Guidarini / The Australian Opera | David Hobson (tenor) | Amanda Thane | Miriam Gormley |
| 1998 | Brilliant Classics DVD, 101 min. | Gustav Kuhn / Naples Teatro San Carlo (live) | Bernadette Manca di Nissa (mezzo) | Paula Almerares | Paola Antonucci | |
| 1999 | Image Entertainment, 95 min. | 1859 Berlioz ed., French | John Eliot Gardiner / Orch. Revolut. et Romantique., Monteverdi Chorus (Live) | Magdalena Kozena (mezzo) | Madeline Bender | Patricia Petibon |
| 2003 | Farao Classics | Ivor Bolton / Chor & Orchester der Bayerischen Staatsoper (Live) | Vesselina Kasarova (mezzo) | Rosemary Joshua | Deborah York | |
| 2004 | Premiere Opera Ltd. CD NO 1730-2 (2 CDs) | Jos van Veldhoven / Chor & Orchester der Niederländischen Bachvereinigung | Nathalie Stutzmann (contralto) | Dominique Labelle | Johanette Zomer | |