Janet Baker. 'Che Faro'. Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice.What is Life?

Studio performance in 1982 just a few months prior to her retirement from the operatic stage. Recitals however, thankfully continued. Saw her in my local City Hall, in mainly French repertoire. She ended her operatic appearances with performances of 'Orfeo' at Glyndebourne. I saw her in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice at the Theatre Royal Glasgow, a few months earlier. It was a tour of the UK prior to her last Orfeo season at Glyndebourne. In very good voice, but the overall performance in Glasgow was compromised by the starkness of the set. Swathes of black and white drapes, as backdrop and at the sides. However,of course, the voice remained with us as we drove home. Also known in English as:- What is Life? Gluck.