The opera "Orpheus and Eurydice" was the first work in which Gluck implemented new ideas. Its premiere in Vienna on October 5, 1762 marked the beginning opera reform. Gluck wrote the recitative in such a way that the meaning of the words was in the first place, the part of the orchestra obeyed general mood scenes while singing static figures finally began to play, showed artistic qualities, and singing would be combined with action. The singing technique has become much simpler, but it has become more natural and much more attractive to the listeners. The overture in the opera also contributed to the introduction to the atmosphere and mood of the subsequent act. In addition, Gluck turned the choir into a direct constituent part the flow of drama. The wonderful originality of "Orpheus and Eurydice" in its "Italian" musicality. The dramatic structure is based on complete musical numbers, which, like arias, Italian school, captivate with their melodic beauty and completeness.
The ancient story about the devoted love of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the most common in the opera. Before Gluck, it was used in the works of Peri, Caccini, Monteverdi, Landi and a number of minor authors. Gluck interpreted and embodied it in a new way. Gluck's reform, first implemented in the Orpheus, was prepared by many years of creative experience, work in the largest European theaters; rich, flexible craftsmanship, improved over decades, he was able to put at the service of his idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a sublime tragedy.
The composer found an ardent like-minded person in the person of the poet Raniero Calzabidgi (1714-1795). Of the numerous versions of the legend of Orpheus, the librettist chose the one set forth in Virgil's Georgics. In him ancient heroes appear in majestic and touching simplicity, endowed with feelings accessible to an ordinary mortal. This choice reflected a protest against the false pathos, rhetoric and pretentiousness of feudal-noble art.
In the first edition of the opera, presented on October 5, 1762 in Vienna, Gluck had not yet completely freed himself from the traditions of ceremonial performances - the part of Orpheus was entrusted to the alto-castrato, decorative role Cupid; the ending of the opera, contrary to myth, turned out to be happy. The second edition, which premiered in Paris on August 2, 1774, differed significantly from the first. The text has been rewritten
de Molina. The party of Orpheus became more expressive and natural; it was expanded and given to the tenor. The scene in hell ended with the finale music from the ballet Don Giovanni; the famous flute solo, known in concert practice as Gluck's Melody, was introduced into the music of the "blissful shadows".
In 1859 Gluck's opera was revived by Berlioz. Orpheus was played by Pauline Viardot. Since then, there has been a tradition of performing the title part by the singer.
Summary
In a beautiful secluded grove of laurels and cypresses - the tomb of Eurydice. Orpheus mourns his girlfriend. The shepherds and shepherds, sympathizing with him, call on the spirit of the deceased to hear the wailing of her husband. They kindle a sacrificial fire, decorate the monument with flowers. Orpheus asks to be left alone with sad thoughts. In vain he calls Eurydice - only an echo repeats the name of his beloved in the valley, forests, among the rocks. Orpheus begs the gods to return his beloved to him or take his life.
Cupid appears; he announces the will of Zeus: Orpheus is allowed to descend into hell, and if the voice of the singer and the sounds of his lyre move the wicked, he will return with Eurydice. Only one condition must be fulfilled by Orpheus: do not look at his spouse until they reach the Earth, otherwise Eurydice will be lost forever. selfless love Orphea is ready to endure all trials.
Thick dark smoke shrouds the mysterious area, occasionally illuminated by flashes of hellfire. Furies and underground spirits start a wild dance. Orpheus appears playing the lyre. Spirits try to intimidate him with terrible visions. Orpheus calls to them three times, begging them to ease his suffering. With the power of art, the singer manages to soften them. The spirits recognize themselves defeated and open the way for Orpheus to the underworld.
A miraculous transformation takes place. Orpheus enters Elysium - a beautiful kingdom of blissful shadows. Here he finds the shadow of Eurydice. Earthly anxieties, peace and joy are alien to her. magical land bewitched her. Orpheus is amazed by the beauty of the landscape, wonderful sounds, singing birds. But he can only be happy with Eurydice. Without turning around, Orpheus takes her hand and hurriedly leaves.
Again there is a gloomy gorge with overhanging rocks, tangled paths. Orpheus is in a hurry to get Eurydice out of him. But the beloved is upset and alarmed: her husband never looked at her. Had he grown cold towards her, had her beauty faded? Eurydice's reproaches cause Orpheus unbearable mental pain, but he is unable to disobey the gods. Again and again, Eurydice begs her husband to turn his gaze to her. It is better for her to die than to live unloved. Desperate, Orpheus gives in to her requests. He looks around and Eurydice falls dead. The inconsolable grief of Orpheus knows no bounds. He is ready to stab himself with a dagger, but Cupid stops him. The husband proved his loyalty, and by the will of the gods, Eurydice comes to life again.
A crowd of shepherds and shepherdesses joyfully greets the heroes, entertaining them with singing and merry dancing. Orpheus, Eurydice and Cupid praise all-conquering force love and wisdom of the gods.
The great singer Orpheus, the son of the river god Eagra and the muse Calliope, lived in distant Thrace. Orpheus' wife was the beautiful nymph Eurydice. Orpheus loved her dearly. But Orpheus did not enjoy long happy life with his wife. Once, shortly after the wedding, the beautiful Eurydice was gathering spring flowers with her young nymph friends in a green valley. Eurydice did not notice the snake in the thick grass and stepped on it. stung by a snake young wife Orpheus in the foot. Eurydice screamed loudly and fell into the arms of her friends who ran up. Eurydice turned pale, her eyes closed. The snake's venom ended her life. The girlfriends of Eurydice were horrified, and their mournful crying resounded far. Orpheus heard him. He hurries to the valley and there he sees the corpse of his dearly beloved wife. Orpheus was in despair. He could not come to terms with this loss. For a long time he mourned his Eurydice, and all nature wept, hearing his sad singing.
Finally Orpheus decided to descend into dark kingdom souls of the dead to beg Hades and Persephone to return his wife to him. Orpheus descended through the gloomy cave of Tenara to the banks of the sacred river Styx.
Orpheus stands on the banks of the Styx. How can he cross to the other side, to where the kingdom of Hades is located? Orpheus is surrounded by the shadows of the dead. Their groans are barely audible, like the rustle of leaves falling in the forest in late autumn. The splash of oars was heard in the distance. This is the boat of the carrier of the souls of the dead Charon. Charon moored to the shore. Asks Orpheus to transport him along with the souls to the other side, but the stern Charon refused him. No matter how Orpheus prays to him, he hears everything one answer of Charon: “No!”
Orpheus, the great singer, the son of the river god Eagra and the muse of chants Calliope, lived in Thrace. His wife was the tender and beautiful nymph Eurydice. The beautiful singing of Orpheus, his playing the cithara not only fascinated people, but enchanted plants and animals. Orpheus and Eurydice were happy until a terrible disaster struck them. Once, when Eurydice and her nymph friends were picking flowers in a green valley, they were ambushed by a snake hiding in thick grass and stung Orpheus's wife in the leg. The poison quickly spread and ended her life. Hearing the mournful cry of Eurydice's friends, Orpheus hurried to the valley and, seeing the cold body of Eurydice, his dearly beloved wife, fell into despair and groaned bitterly. Nature sympathized deeply with him in his grief. Then Orpheus decided to go to realm of the dead to see Eurydice there. To do this, he descends to the sacred river Styx, where the souls of the dead have accumulated, which the carrier on the boat Charon sends to the domain of Hades. At first, Charon refused Orpheus's request to smuggle him. But then Orpheus played on his golden cithara and charmed the gloomy Charon with wonderful music. And he transported him to the throne of the god of death Hades. In the midst of cold and silence underworld the passionate song of Orpheus sounded about his grief, about the torment of a broken love for Eurydice. Everyone who was nearby was amazed at the beauty of the music and the strength of his feelings: both Hades and his wife Persephone, and Tantalus, who forgot about the hunger that tormented him, and Sisyphus, who stopped his hard and fruitless work. Then Orpheus stated his request to return his wife Eurydice to earth. Hades agreed to fulfill it, but at the same time he stated his condition: Orpheus must follow the god Hermes, and Eurydice will follow him. During the journey through the underworld, Orpheus should not look back: otherwise, Eurydice will leave him forever. When the shadow of Eurydice appeared, Orpheus wished to hug her, but Hermes told him not to do this, since there was only a shadow in front of him, and there was a long and hard way.
Quickly passing the kingdom of Hades, the travelers reached the River Styx, where Charon ferried them on his boat to a path leading steeply up to the surface of the earth. The path was cluttered with stones, darkness reigned around, and the figure of Hermes loomed ahead and the light barely dawned, which indicated the proximity of the exit. At this moment, Orpheus was seized by a deep anxiety for Eurydice: whether she was keeping up with him, whether she was behind, whether she was lost in the dusk. Listening closely, he could not make out any sound behind him, which heightened the unsettling feeling. Finally, unable to stand it and violating the ban, he turned around: almost next to him he saw the shadow of Eurydice, stretched out his hands to her, but at the same instant the shadow melted into the darkness. So he had to re-experience the death of Eurydice. And this time it was my own fault.
Terrified, Orpheus decides to return to the shores of the Styx, re-enter the kingdom of Hades and pray to God to return his beloved wife. But this time, the prayers of Orpheus no longer touched the old Charon. Orpheus spent seven days on the banks of the Styx, but did not soften the harsh heart of Charon, and on the eighth he returned to his place in Thrace.
Four years have passed since the death of Eurydice, but Orpheus remained faithful to her, not wanting to marry any of the women. Once, in early spring, he sat down on a high hill, picked up a golden cithara and sang. All nature listened to the great singer. At this time, Bacchantes, possessed by rage, appeared, celebrating the holiday of the god of wine and fun, Bacchus. Noticing Orpheus, they rushed at him shouting: "Here he is, a hater of women." In a frenzy, the Bacchantes surround the singer and shower him with stones. Having killed Orpheus, they tear his body apart, tear off the head of the singer and, together with his kithara, throw him into fast waters river Gebra. Carried away by the current, the cithara strings continue to sound, mourning the singer, and the shore answers them. All nature mourns Orpheus. The head of the singer and his cithara are carried by the waves into the sea, where they swim to the island of Lesbos. Since then, marvelous songs have been heard on the island. The soul of Orpheus descends into the realm of shadows, where the great singer meets his Eurydice. Since then, their shadows have been inseparable. Together they wander through the gloomy fields of the realm of the dead.
Images of poetic myth are exceptionally popular in world art. Based on his motives, the paintings of the great painters Tintoretto, Rubens, Brueghel were painted; the operas "Orpheus" were created by Verdi and Gluck, the ballet "Orpheus" - by I. Stravinsky; Jacques Offenbach wrote the operetta Orpheus in Hell. The original interpretation of the myth was given by the American playwright Tennessee Williams in the drama Orpheus Descends. For many years in Poland in Sopot took place international festival singers "Golden Orpheus".
Not only people, but even gods and nature itself obeyed the music and voice of the wonderful musician and singer Orpheus. Orpheus participated in the campaign of the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece, calmed sea waves. Orpheus lived in distant Thrace, was married to the beautiful nymph Eurydice, whom he loved immensely. But his happiness did not last long. One spring, together with her friends, she was picking flowers in the meadow; the god Aristaeus saw her and began to pursue her. Eurydice, running away from him, stepped on a poisonous snake hiding in tall grass, and died from its bite.
From the grief that had fallen, Orpheus did not know what to do, how to live on. He performed sad songs in honor of the deceased Eurydice. Together with him, his wife was mourned by trees, herbs and flowers. Desperate, he decided to go to the underworld of the god Hades, where the souls of the dead went, and try to rescue his beloved from there. Having reached the terrible noisy underground river Styx, Orpheus heard the loud groans of the souls of the dead. Carrier Charon, who ferried souls to the other side, refused to take him with him. Then Orpheus ran the strings of his golden cithara and sang. The sounds of his instrument, his voice pacified the river, it stopped making noise, the groans of dead souls subsided. Charon involuntarily listened and allowed Orpheus to enter his boat. He took him to the other side.
Orpheus, without stopping playing and singing, reached the golden throne of the gloomy god Hades and bowed before him. In his song, he told God about his love for Eurydice, about how, together with her, he spent his happy Days. But now Eurydice was gone, and life for him lost all meaning.
The whole kingdom of Hades froze, everyone listened to the sad confession of the singer and musician. Hades and his wife Persephone did not utter a word. After listening to Orpheus, Sisyphus stopped his useless work, Tantalus ceased to suffer from thirst, hunger and fear. And even the ruthless Erinyes could not hold back their tears. Orpheus touched everyone. When he finished, silence reigned in the realm of gloomy Hades. It was broken by Hades himself, asked the singer why he came to him in the dungeon.
Forgive me, great Hades, the keeper of the underground riches and the souls of the dead, - Orpheus told him, - forgive me for invading your possessions. I came to tell you about my love for Eurydice, because I can't imagine life without her. When it is my turn to leave the earth, I will also come to you, but now I ask you to return Eurydice to me. Let her go with me earthly life. She will return to you when you call her. And I will come to you, but give us time for love.
Hades listened to the singer and agreed to release Eurydice to earth, although this was against his rules. At the same time, he set one condition: Orpheus should not look back and turn to Eurydice all the way to the exit from the realm of the dead, otherwise Eurydice will disappear. Orpheus happily agreed with everything.
Loving spouses set off on a difficult journey along a steep desert path. Hermes moved ahead with a lantern. They have already approached the realm of light. With joy that they would soon be together again, Orpheus forgot about the warning of God and in last moment stay in the kingdom of darkness looked back. Eurydice stretched out her hands to him and began to move away. Orpheus rushed to catch up with her, but Charon refused to take him to the other side. The shadow of Eurydice disappeared into the gloomy fog.
Orpheus was petrified by grief. For seven days and nights he sat on the banks of the underground river. But no one else wanted to help him. All alone, he rose to the surface, returned to his Thrace. There he lived only three years in deep sadness and grief. Then the singer's shadow descended into the realm of the dead, found her Eurydice there, and was never separated from her again.
Selezneva Daria
Orpheus and Eurydice
Summary of the myth
Frederic Leighton. Orpheus and Eurydice
According to legend, in the north of Greece, in Thrace, the singer Orpheus lived. His name translates as "healing light."
He had a wonderful gift of songs, and his fame spread throughout the land of the Greeks. For the songs, the beautiful Eurydice fell in love with him. She became his wife. But their happiness was short-lived. Once Orpheus and Eurydice were in the forest. Orpheus played his seven-stringed cithara and sang. Eurydice was gathering flowers in the meadows. She disappeared unnoticed. Suddenly it seemed to her that someone was running through the forest, breaking branches, chasing her, she was frightened and, throwing flowers, ran back to Orpheus. She ran, not understanding the road, through the thick grass and in a swift run she stepped into the snake's nest. The snake coiled around her leg and stung. Eurydice screamed loudly in pain and fear and fell on the grass. Orpheus heard from a distance the plaintive cry of his wife, and hurried to her. But he saw how large black wings flashed between the trees - it was Death that carried Eurydice to the underworld.
Great was the grief of Orpheus. He left people and spent whole days alone, wandering through the forests, pouring out his longing in songs. And there was such power in these melancholy songs that the trees left their places and surrounded the singer. Animals came out of their holes, birds left their nests, stones moved closer. And everyone listened to how he yearned for his beloved.
Nights and days passed, but Orpheus could not be consoled, his sadness grew with every hour. Realizing that he could no longer live without his wife, Orpheus went to look for her in the underworld of Hades. For a long time he searched for the entrance to the underworld and, finally, to deep cave Tenara found a stream that flowed into the underground river Styx. Along the bed of this stream, Orpheus descended deep underground and reached the banks of the Styx. Beyond this river began the realm of the dead. Black and deep are the waters of the Styx, and it is terrible for the living to step into them.
Having passed many trials in the realm of the dead, Orpheus, driven by the power of love, gets to the palace of the formidable ruler of the underworld - Hades. Orpheus turned to Hades with a request to return Eurydice to him, who is still so young and loved by him. Hades took pity on Orpheus and agreed to let his wife go only on one condition that Orpheus had to fulfill: he should not see her throughout their journey to the land of the living. He promised Orpheus that Eurydice would follow him, but he must not turn around and look at her. If he violates the ban, he will lose his wife forever.
Orpheus quickly went to the exit from the realm of the dead. Like a spirit, he passed the country of Death, and the shadow of Eurydice followed him. They entered Charon's boat, and he silently carried them back to the shore of life. A steep rocky path led up to the ground. Slowly climbed Mount Orpheus. It was dark and quiet around him, and it was quiet behind him, as if no one was following him.
At last it began to lighten up ahead, the exit to the ground was close. And the closer the exit was, the brighter it became in front, and now everything became clearly visible around. Anxiety squeezed the heart of Orpheus: is Eurydice here? Does he follow him? Forgetting everything in the world, Orpheus stopped and looked around. For a moment, quite close, he saw a sweet shadow, a dear, beautiful face... But only for a moment. Immediately the shadow of Eurydice flew away, disappeared, melted into the darkness. With a desperate cry, Orpheus began to descend back along the path and again came to the shore of the black Styx and called for the carrier. But in vain he prayed and called: no one answered his prayers. For a long time Orpheus sat alone on the banks of the Styx and waited. He didn't wait for anyone. He had to return to earth and live. But he could not forget his the only love- Eurydice, and the memory of her lived in his heart and in his songs. Eurydice represents the divine soul of Orpheus, with whom he unites after death.
Images and symbols of myth
Orpheus, mysterious image from Greek myths and the symbol of a musician who, with the conquering power of sounds, could move animals, plants and even stones, arouse compassion among the gods underworld(underworld). Image of Orpheus It is also about overcoming human alienation.
Orpheus- this is the power of art, which contributes to the transformation of chaos into space - the world of causality and harmony, forms and images, the real "human world".
The inability to keep love turned Orpheus also into a symbol human weakness leading to failure at the moment of crossing the fatal threshold, a reminder of tragic side life...
Image of Orpheus- the mythical personification of the secret doctrine, according to which the planets revolve around the Sun, located in the center of the universe. The force of attraction of the Sun is the source of universal connection and harmony, and the rays emanating from it are the cause of the movement of the particles of the Universe.
Image of Eurydice- a symbol of silent knowledge and oblivion. The idea of embodied silent omniscience and detachment. She is also associated with the image of the music that Orpheus is looking for.
The image of Lyra- a magical tool with which Orpheus touches the hearts of not only people, but also the Gods.
Kingdom of Hades- the kingdom of the dead, which begins far in the west, where the sun sinks into the depths of the sea. This is how the idea of night, death, darkness, winter arises. The element of Hades is the earth, which again takes its children to itself, but in its bosom the seeds of a new life are hidden.
Communicative means of creating images and symbols
Emil Behn
Death of Orpheus, 1874
The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice was first mentioned in the writings of the greatest Roman poet Publius Ovid Nason. His main work was the book "Metamorphoses", in which Ovid sets out about 250 myths about the transformations of Greek gods and heroes. The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in his presentation attracted poets, artists and composers at all times and eras.
Almost all the plots of the myth are reflected in the paintings of Rubens, Tiepolo, Corot and many others.
Many operas were written, the leitmotif of which was the myth of Orpheus: the opera Orpheus (C. Monteverdi, 1607), the opera Orpheus (K. V. Gluck, 1762), the operetta Orpheus in Hell (J. Offenbach, 1858 )
In the 15-19 centuries. various plots of the myth were used by G. Bellini, F. Cossa, B. Carducci, G. V. Tiepolo, P. P. Rubens, Giulio Romano, J. Tintoretto, Domenichino, A. Canova, Rodin and others.
IN European literature 20-40s 20th century the theme "Orpheus and Eurydice" was developed by R. M. Rilke, J. Anouil, I. Gol, P. J. Zhuv, A. Gide and others.
Orpheus is the hero of the tragedy by J. Cocteau "Orpheus" (1928). Cocteau uses antique material in search of the eternal and always modern philosophical meaning, hidden in the base ancient myth. The theme of Orpheus was devoted to two films by Charles Cocteau - "Orpheus" (1949) and "Testament of Orpheus" (1960). Antique singer - hero family drama» G. Ibsen's "Orpheus" (1884). T. Mann uses the image of Orpheus as the main character in the work "Death in Venice" (1911). Orpheus - the main thing actor in The Tin Drum (1959) by Günther Grass.
In Russian poetry of the early 20th century. the motives of the myth of Orpheus are reflected in the works of O. Mandelstam, M. Tsvetaeva ("Phaedra", 1923).
In 1975, composer Alexander Zhurbin and playwright Yuri Dimitrin wrote the first Soviet rock opera, Orpheus and Eurydice. It was staged by the Singing Guitars ensemble at the opera studio at the Leningrad Conservatory. In 2003, the rock opera "Orpheus and Eurydice" was included in the Guinness Book of Records as a musical, maximum amount once played by one team. At the time of registration of the record, the performance was performed for the 2350th time. This took place in the St. Petersburg theater "Rock Opera".
The social significance of the myth
"Landscape with Orpheus and Eurydice" 1648
Orpheus - greatest singer and a musician, the son of the muse Calliope and Apollo (according to another version, the Thracian king), from whom he receives his instrument, a 7-string lyre, to which he subsequently added 2 more strings, making it an instrument of 9 muses. According to the myths, Orpheus participated in the journey of the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece, helping out his friends during trials. Orpheus was considered the founder of Orphism - a special mystical cult. According to Orphic teaching, immortal soul dwells in a mortal body; after human death, she goes to the underworld for purification, and then moves to another shell - the body of a person, animal, etc., enriched by the experience gained during these successive reincarnations. Reflections of the Orphic idea that the soul can become free only by breaking away from the body.
Time passed, and the real Orpheus was hopelessly identified with his teachings and became a symbol of the Greek school of wisdom. The initiates abstained from carnal pleasures and wore clothes made of white linen, symbolizing purity. The Greeks highly appreciated the amazing strength and intelligence of Orpheus, his courage and fearlessness. He is a favorite of numerous legends, he patronized sports gymnasiums and palestras, where they taught young men the art of winning. And among the Romans, retired gladiators dedicated their weapons to the famous hero. The image of Orpheus to this day revives in people faith in the power of eternal, beautiful, incomprehensible love, faith in loyalty and devotion, in the unity of souls, faith that there is at least one small but hope to get out of the darkness of the underworld. He combined the inner and external beauty thus being a role model for many.
The teaching of Orpheus is the teaching of light, purity and great boundless love, it was received by all mankind, and every person inherited part of the light of Orpheus. This is a gift from the gods that lives in the soul of each of us.
Bibliography
- Myths of the peoples of the world //http://myths.kulichki.ru
- Summary: The image of Orpheus in mythology, ancient literature and art. Plots. Attributes http://www.roman.by
- Orpheus //http://ru.wikipedia.org
- The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in lyrics Silver Age//http://gymn.tom.ru
