Tenor Hew Wagner will appear on stage as Orpheus in a lead role in Lyster Opera's upcoming production of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s timeless masterpiece Orphée et Eurydice (Orpheus and Eurydice) at Milawa Hall on Saturday, 21 February at 2pm.

This elegant and emotionally charged opera tells the enduring fable of Orpheus, who descends into the underworld to reclaim his beloved Eurydice.

Along the way, he confronts the terrifying Furies of Hell and the radiant Blessed Spirits of Elysium, in one of opera’s most moving journeys from darkness to light.

Hew described the role as “Everest for a tenor”.

“I’ve been lucky enough to work with Lyster Opera on a number of productions now since our Don Pasquale in 2020,” he said.

“It’s a really great company to work with and when our director, Jamie Moffat asked me to play the role I instantly knew I would say yes.

“The role of Orpheus in Gluck’s opera is a wonderful challenge - it feels like Everest for a tenor - so I’m excited to take it on.”

This performance is sung in French with English subtitles, directed by Jamie Moffat, musical direction by Pamela Christie, sets by Blair Parkinson, and costumes by Maddy Connellan.

Hew said in preparation for the role he spent a lot of time sitting down with the score and trying to memorise the role.

“Orpheus is on stage for nearly the entire show, so it was a lot of words and notes to get in there,” he said.

“I used every spare moment on the couch or on a tram or on a plane - I probably looked quite strange sometimes looking intently at an iPad and muttering French words over and over again.”

Hew has been singing since he was nine years old, a passion that started in the school choir.

“I haven’t stopped being noisy since then,” Hew said.

“I studied Classical Voice at the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide, and I was a Young Artist at the State Opera of South Australia.

“Since then, I’ve been performing with groups including the State Opera of South Australia, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Lyster Opera, Lyric Opera of Melbourne, Australian International Opera Company, and Co-Opera, including tours of regional Australia, China, and Malaysia.

“When I’m not singing, I work as a media composer, I’ve written music for games, film and TV.”

For Hew, portraying Orpheus is really about being in the moment.

“Gluck’s music and Calzabigi’s words are so evocative I try to let myself get swept away by them,” he said.

“I would encourage anyone who would like to see an emotional story told through beautiful music to come along.”

Tickets are available from lysteropera.com.au or by calling 0410 890 388.