It’s been a privilege to rehearse with The Royal Opera’s cast and crew over the last few weeks prior to tonight’s first performance of Monteverdi’s Orfeo at The Roundhouse.
Unlike a usual ‘pit’, the orchestra are in full view at the back of the circular stage, and Tom Piper has carefully designed the set to ensure the acoustics of this voluminous building work for singers, players and audience.
Squeezed into this space, we have an extraordinary number of strings at work, and several multi-tasking brass players. The full line-up is two harpsichords, an organ, a regal (perfect for Pluto’s underworld soundscape), harp, 3 lutes, 1 baroque guitar, 2 violins and 2 piccolo violins especially called for by Monteverdi, 2 violas, 1 lirone, 1 bass violin, 1 violone, percussion (tenor drum and tambourine), plus two cornetts, 2 recorders, 5 baroque trumpets and 5 sackbuts (or early trombones).
Can you work out how many strings are in play for this show? Nearest the mark will win an Early Opera Company CD!
