l’Orfeo – Monteverdi Opera
L’Orfeo favola in musica (Orpheus Legend in Music), Opera Seria
An introduction to Claudio Monteverdi's treatment of the Orpheus Legend, l'Orfeo, cast of characters, and opera plot.
Monteverdi L’Orfeo (Orpheus)
Composed: 1607
First Performance: Feb. 24, 1607, Palazzo Ducale, Mantua
Language: Italian
Libretto: Alessandro Striggio, Jr., based on works by Rinuccini and Ovid
Fast Facts:
- Considered by some to be the first “real opera”
- First successful marriage of Music, sung text, scenic elements, and drama
- Music in this opera is mostly recitative
- Once the piece was performed initially, the work went unperformed for nearly 300 years, before it was rediscovered by composer Vincent D’Indy and revived in 1904.
- The Greek legend of Orpheus inspired operas by several composers, most notably Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and Offenbach’s operetta Orphée aux enfers
Characters:
- Orfeo, Orpheus, a shepherd (tenor)
- Euridice, Eurydice, wife of Orfeo (soprano)
- Silvia, friend of Euridice (soprano)
- Speranza, Hope, Orfeo’s escort to Hades (soprano)
- Caronte, a boatman at the crossing of the river Styx (bass)
- Plutone, God of the Underworld (bass)
- Proserpina, Wife of Plutone
- Ecco, an Echo (tenor)
- Apollo, Father of Orfeo
The Plot:
Prologue
- A spirit of music (La Musica) invites the audience to hear the story of Orfeo.
- Orfeo is said to be capable of taming wild animals and the gods of the underworld with his music.
Act I
- Celebration of Euridice’s Marriage to Orpheus in the fields of Thrace.
- Orfeo sings of Love and praise.
- Orfeo is accompanied by a chorus of nymphs and shepherds into a temple with songs of love and joy
Act II
- Orpheus sings in the woods.
- Silvia arrives to tell Orpheus that his wife, Euridice, has been bitten by a serpent and has died.
- Orfeo is grief stricken.
- Orfeo vows to bring Euridice back from Hell, or remain there himself, by using the power of love through song to convince the god Plutone to free her.
Act III
- Orfeo, led by Speranza, is taken to the gates of Hell.
- At the river Styx, Orfeo sings to a boatman, Caronte.
- Caronte feels sorry for Orfeo, but does not allow him to cross the river.
- Orfeo continues to sing, and eventually Caronte falls into a deep sleep.
- Orfeo steal the oars to the boat and crosses the river.
Act IV
- In Hades, Proserpina ask her husband, Plutone, to listen to Orfeo and grant him his wish to free Euridice.
- Plutone agrees under the condition that Orfeo leads her out of Hades without once looking at her.
- As Orfeo is leading her out of Hell, he begins to doubt that she is actually following him.
- As he turns to see Euridice, she vanishes.
- Orfeo cries out in song, lamenting his loss.
Act V
- Having returned to the fields of Thrace, Orfeo continues to lament the loss of his wife.
- Orfeo’s cries are only answered by Ecco, a single voice.
- Orfeo becomes angry at all women and vows never to take another.
- Apollo, Orfeo’s father, descends from heaven to console his son.
- The ascend together to heaven.
The copyright of the article l’Orfeo – Monteverdi Opera in Opera Composers is owned by Bryce Westervelt. Permission to republish l’Orfeo – Monteverdi Opera must be granted by the author in writing.
