Discussion Week 9: Versions of the Orpheus Myth

[IlanaSimons]

There have been operas and paintings and poems and etc. etc. etc. depicting the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. Which do you know or like? Why?

If you webcrawl and find some fantastic related poem or image, share it with us.

[Lathan]

How timely. I recently saw Sarah Ruhl’s play “Eurydice" while in New York. Her twist is to turn the myth into a dark comedy from Eurydice’s perspective. Here is what I took away from it:

Eurydice descends into the Underworld and meets her father. She is under pressure to simply forget her life (the River Lethe having washed her mortal memories away). After all, it is much easier to get along both in life and death if you forget the past. Her father helps her reconstruct those memories, one by one. He warns her that Orpheus the artist will always love Art more than her (I don’t recall the exact line but am paraphrasing). Love is imperfect, and why not choose the oblivious safety of the Underworld to the potential of disappointment above?

[Choisya]

I am fond of the of Gluck's opera Orpheus and Eurydice (Orfeo ed Euridice). I have a CD of a beautiful version of the aria 'What is Life to Me Without Thee' sung by the late and great Kathleen Ferrier, which I often play.

There are some interesting references to the myth of Orpheus and the Orphic cults on this website:-

http://carnaval.com/orpheus/orpheus-history.htm

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IlanaSimons wrote:
There have been operas and paintings and poems and etc. etc. etc. depicting the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. Which do you know or like? Why?

If you webcrawl and find some fantastic related poem or image, share it with us.

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[IlanaSimons]

JJJJJJEalous! I waited on the standby line for two hours and didn't get in. I'll try again. Jeeeealous. I wonder if you were one of those who passed by me while I sat, cheap and wanting, on the stand-by half-pricers' line.

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Lathan wrote:
How timely. I recently saw Sarah Ruhl’s play “Eurydice" while in New York. Her twist is to turn the myth into a dark comedy from Eurydice’s perspective. Here is what I took away from it:

Eurydice descends into the Underworld and meets her father. She is under pressure to simply forget her life (the River Lethe having washed her mortal memories away). After all, it is much easier to get along both in life and death if you forget the past. Her father helps her reconstruct those memories, one by one. He warns her that Orpheus the artist will always love Art more than her (I don’t recall the exact line but am paraphrasing). Love is imperfect, and why not choose the oblivious safety of the Underworld to the potential of disappointment above?

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[IlanaSimons]

I just said jeeealous to Lathan, and I'll say jeeealous to you here too. My friend is now upstate and just saw a performance of the Gluck piece, and called me at intermission to tell me it was great, which is indeed the thing that inspired this week's post.
Have you seen the opera in person?

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Choisya wrote:
I am fond of the of Gluck's opera Orpheus and Eurydice (Orfeo ed Euridice). I have a CD of a beautiful version of the aria 'What is Life to Me Without Thee' sung by the late and great Kathleen Ferrier, which I often play.

There are some interesting references to the myth of Orpheus and the Orphic cults on this website:-

http://carnaval.com/orpheus/orpheus-history.htm

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IlanaSimons wrote:
There have been operas and paintings and poems and etc. etc. etc. depicting the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. Which do you know or like? Why?

If you webcrawl and find some fantastic related poem or image, share it with us.

---

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[Lathan]

FYI: The run for "Eurydice" in New York has been extended well into August, so you may have the opportunity yet.

I'll agree with Choisya. Kathleen Ferrier is amazing. I only have two of her compilation CDs, but may check around for more now.

[Choisya]

I have indeed Ilana. I used to be a regular frequentee at Covent Garden because the HoC had an allocation of tickets. Those were the days! I hope you get to see it soon - if not get a good DVD like the 1991 recording of the live performance at Covent Garden with Jochen Kowalski and Gillian Webster, which is supposed to be very good.

I have also enjoyed performances of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld by the English National Opera - great fun! Especially 'He is Coming. Oh! How Boring'

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IlanaSimons wrote:
I just said jeeealous to Lathan, and I'll say jeeealous to you here too. My friend is now upstate and just saw a performance of the Gluck piece, and called me at intermission to tell me it was great, which is indeed the thing that inspired this week's post.
Have you seen the opera in person?

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Choisya wrote:
I am fond of the of Gluck's opera Orpheus and Eurydice (Orfeo ed Euridice). I have a CD of a beautiful version of the aria 'What is Life to Me Without Thee' sung by the late and great Kathleen Ferrier, which I often play.

There are some interesting references to the myth of Orpheus and the Orphic cults on this website:-

http://carnaval.com/orpheus/orpheus-history.htm

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IlanaSimons wrote:
There have been operas and paintings and poems and etc. etc. etc. depicting the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. Which do you know or like? Why?

If you webcrawl and find some fantastic related poem or image, share it with us.

Message Edited by Choisya on 07-20-2007 02:04 PM

[sethsma05]

I was the assistant stage manager on the world premiere of Eurydice at Madison Repertory Theatre in Wisconsin in 2003. Ms. Ruhl was there at all the rehearsals, and it was really interesting being in on that process, with the director and the playwright together. I'd be curious to see what it looks like now, that more time, and work has been done on it.

I never actually saw it from the front, since I had to deal with stilts, the "stones", tricycle, rain elevator, and all those things backstage, but I absolutely loved the script. I recently read the myth and the poem by H.D., but they each affected me in different ways.

[sethsma05]

Lathan,
Trying to do this without any spoilers, but does the play still have Eurydice writing the letter to her father? It's one of the few times in my career where during a show, I'd stop whatever I was doing to listen to the words from the side of the stage. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that's still in there.

[Lathan]

Well, I recall that the play has Eurydice writing a letter towards the end in one of the play's most resonant scenes. That's really all I can say without spoiling things, I'm afraid. I wonder if the script has changed much since the 2003 production.

Letters are important in the play, now that I think of it. In the beginning, the "Nasty, Interesting Man" uses a letter as a plot device. And the tiles of the Underworld are decorated with letters from the dead to the living.

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sethsma05 wrote:
Lathan,
Trying to do this without any spoilers, but does the play still have Eurydice writing the letter to her father? It's one of the few times in my career where during a show, I'd stop whatever I was doing to listen to the words from the side of the stage. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that's still in there.

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[KathyS]

http://www.mythologyweb.com/orpheuseurydice.html
The fable, and old engravings.
Could it have been out of pure concern, that Orpheus looked back?
Was his love so consuming - that he knew in the end it would destroy him?
Do you think he knew he would be reunited with Eurydice, wishing for his own death?

K.

Message Edited by KathyS on 07-23-2007 10:03 PM

[sethsma05]

Great! I'm happy to hear that's still in.

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Lathan wrote:
Well, I recall that the play has Eurydice writing a letter towards the end in one of the play's most resonant scenes. That's really all I can say without spoiling things, I'm afraid. I wonder if the script has changed much since the 2003 production.

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[IlanaSimons]

Nice engravings, huh?
(have yet to read the text you linked us too. I will. I guess it implies that the man's self-destruction was part of his love--that we wanted to die to be with Eurydice for eternity, rather than on this middling Earth?)

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KathyS wrote:
http://www.mythologyweb.com/orpheuseurydice.html
The fable, and old engravings.
Could it have been out of pure concern, that Orpheus looked back?
Was his love so consuming - that he knew in the end it would destroy him?
Do you think he knew he would be reunited with Eurydice, wishing for his own death?

K.

Message Edited by KathyS on 07-23-2007 10:03 PM

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