' (''The Death of Orpheus'') is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

in five acts by the Italian composer

Stefano Landi Stefano Landi (baptized 26 February 1587 – 28 October 1639) was an Italian composer and teacher of the early Baroque Roman School. He was an influential early composer of opera, and wrote the earliest opera on a historical subject: '' Il ...

. Dedicated to Alessandro Mattei, ''familiaris'' of Pope Paul V, it may have been first performed in Rome in 1619. The work is styled a ''tragicomedia pastorale'' (pastoral tragicomedy). The libretto, which may be by the composer himself, is in part inspired by ''La favola d'Orfeo'' (1484) by

Angelo Poliziano Agnolo (Angelo) Ambrogini (14 July 1454 – 24 September 1494), commonly known by his nickname Poliziano (; anglicized as Politian; Latin: '' Politianus''), was an Italian classical scholar and poet of the Florentine Renaissance. His scho ...

. Unlike

Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is consider ...

's ''

L'Orfeo ''L'Orfeo'' ( SV 318) (), sometimes called ''La favola d'Orfeo'' , is a late Renaissance/early Baroque ''favola in musica'', or opera, by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and ...

'' and the earliest Florentine operas on the subject ('' Euridice'' by Peri and Caccini), Landi's opera contains comic elements and deals with a different episode from the life of the mythical singer.

Roles

Synopsis

After Orpheus has failed to save his wife Eurydice from the underworld, he renounces wine and the love of women. This offends the god Bacchus who urges his female followers, the

Maenad In Greek mythology, maenads (; grc, μαινάδες ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones". Maenads were known as Bassarids, ...

s, to kill Orpheus. The enraged Maenads tear him apart. The gods want the dead Orpheus to join them on Olympus but Orpheus wants to be reunited with Eurydice in Hades. Only after the god Mercury shows him that, having drunk the waters of

Lethe In Greek mythology, Lethe (; Ancient Greek: ''Lḗthē''; , ), also referred to as Lemosyne, was one of the five rivers of the underworld of Hades. Also known as the ''Ameles potamos'' (river of unmindfulness), the Lethe flowed around the cav ...

, Eurydice no longer remembers her husband, does Orpheus agree to ascend to Olympus.

Recordings

*''La morte d'Orfeo'', John Elwes, Koslowski, Cordier,

Harry van der Kamp Harry van der Kamp (born 1947 in Kampen) is a Dutch bass singer in opera and concert. Mostly active in Historically informed performance, he founded the Gesualdo Ensemble. He is also an academic voice teacher. Singing career Born in Kampen, va ...

, Tragicomedia, conducted by Stephen Stubbs (Accent, 1987; Pan classics 2016) *''La morte d'Orfeo'', Cyril Auvity, Guillemette Laurens,

Dominique Visse Dominique Visse (born 30 August 1955) is a French countertenor and founder of the Ensemble Clément Janequin. Life and career Dominique Visse was a chorister at the Notre-Dame de Paris and studied organ and flute at the Versailles Conservatory. ...

, van Elsacker, Guillon, Bucher, Akadêmia, conducted by Françoise Lasserre (Zig Zag Territoires, 2007) *''La morte d'Orfeo'', Cecilia Molinari, Renato Dolcini, Alexander Miminoshvili, Gaia Petrone, Juan Francisco Gatell,

Les Talens Lyriques The French musical ensemble Les Talens Lyriques was created in 1991 in Paris, France, by the harpsichordist and orchestral conductor Christophe Rousset. This instrumental and vocal formation derives its name from the subtitle of '' Les fêtes d'H� ...

, conducted by

Christophe Rousset Christophe Rousset (; born 12 April 1961) is a French harpsichordist and conductor, who specializes in the performance of Baroque music on period instruments. He is also a musicologist, particularly of opera and European music of the 17th and 1 ...

. DVD Naxos Records Cat:NBD0111V. Released 2020.

References

Sources

*''The Viking Opera Guide'' ed.

Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English actress, media personality, and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent show competition ''Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the ''Heart Brea ...

(Viking, 1993)
Del Teatro (in Italian)
*''The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera'' ed. Parker (OUP, 1994)

External links

Libretto in Italian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morte d'Orfeo, La Italian-language operas Operas by Stefano Landi 1619 operas Operas Operas about Orpheus