The Opera! Arie per un'eclissi: Orpheus myth becomes musical film at La Scala

The audiovisual experiment 'The Opera! Arie per un'eclissi' will debut at Milan's Teatro alla Scala on January 19, 2025, before screening in Italian cinemas on January 20-22, distributed by Adler Entertainment. Directed by Davide Livermore and Paolo Gep Cucco, who also co-wrote the screenplay, the film reimagines the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in a contemporary setting. The story follows Orpheus's descent into a surreal underworld featuring a semi-submerged Paris, a cliff over the river Ade, and abandoned theater stages. The soundtrack blends classical arias by Puccini, Handel, Verdi, Gluck, Bellini, Ravel, Vivaldi with pop music by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Original music is by Mario Conte, with conductors including Plácido Domingo and Fabio Biondi. The cast features opera singers Valentino Buzza as Orpheus and Mariam Battistelli as Eurydice, with Erwin Schrott as Pluto, Vincent Cassel as Charon, Caterina Murino as the concierge, Rossy de Palma as Atropos, Fanny Ardant as Proserpina, and Angela Finocchiaro as Calliope. Produced by Showlab with Rai Cinema in collaboration with Dolce&Gabbana and Digilife Movie, the film was supported by Film Commission Torino Piemonte and the City of Turin. It was shot almost entirely at Prodea Led Studios in Turin using a virtual set, a first in Italy, combining metaphysical art by De Chirico, rationalist architecture, Nervi's visual expanses, Mollino's design, and Dolce&Gabbana costumes.