An Introduction to Iphigénie en Tauride

Gluck was a Bohemian-Austrian composer of Italian and French opera. He became a leading figure in opera in the second half of the eighteenth century. He has come to be known as the composer who did the most to usher in the transition between baroque and classical opera. He thought that the music should follow the drama not vice-versa.

Gluck widely influenced the opera composers who came after him such as Mozart, Berlioz, and Wagner.

Iphigénie en Tauride is a brilliant example of his work where every note serves the drama, the score uses stark contrasts, harmonic tension and orchestral colour to heighten the psychological intensity of the story.

Based on the Greek drama by Euripides, Iphigénie is the high priestess of Diana in the temple of Tauris, which is an island. She had been saved by the goddess Diana from being sacrificed by her father King Agamemnon but her family did not know she was alive.

The opera begins with a troubled Iphigenie recounting her dream that she was forced to kill her brother Oreste. The King of Tauris, Thoas, is also in despair and reports that The Oracles have ordered him to kill every stranger to his island to relieve his troubles.

The next two strangers who appear on the island are Oreste, Iphigénie’s brother and his friend Pylade. As Oreste thinks that Iphigénie is dead he does not recognise her when she appears before him. Iphigénie has to decide whether to obey Thoas’ orders to kill Oreste or try to defy him to save her brother’s life.

This is the first time this opera has been performed by ENO. The opera will perform in French as it was originally written.

Direct Lyndsey Turner returns to ENO, having directed Noye’s Fludde in 2019. The production won an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera in the 2020.

Her theatre credits include 1536, The Treatment, Chimerica (Almeida, also West End, Olivier Award for Best Director), Roald Dahl’s The Witches, The Crucible, Under Milk Wood, Top Girls, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (National Theatre); After the End (Theatre Royal Stratford East); A Number (The Old Vic); Far Away, Faith Healer, Fathers and Sons (Donmar Warehouse); Hamlet (Barbican) and Girls and Boys, Posh, Contractions (Royal Court). 

The opera will be conducted by Baroque specialist David Bates making his ENO debut.

The cast features Christine Rice who played Sister Helen in ENO’s Olivier award winning production of Dead Man Walking in the titular role of Iphigénie. Her brother Oreste played by Jacques Imbrailo, a winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World Audience Prize (2007).