Orfeo ed Euridice

ORFEO & EURIDICE:

a design for opera.

In this version of Orfeo and Euridice, the ending concludes as a tragedy
where Orfeo commits suicide by throwing himself into the river Cocytus.

SCENES

Overture: Ephemeral
Act I Scene 1: Lament
Act I Scene 2: “Hope”
Act II Scene 1: To the Underworld
Act II Scene 2: The Wondrous Underworld
Act III Scene 1: Journey from the Underworld
Act III Scene 1-2: River Cocytus

Chorus
stays with the orchestra in the orchestra pit.
Their singing voices would come from the orchestra pit and speakers from different directions.

Dancers
appear on stage as nymphs in ‘Lament’ and as spirits in ‘The Wondrous Underworld’.

Amor
appears twice in ‘Hope’ (sings) and ‘River Cocytus’ (in silent, watches Orfeo’s suicide) .
Amor is a manipulative god who plots Orfeo’s journey to the underworld,
the second ‘death’ of Euridice, and Orfeo’s suicide. The entire story is about Amor’s scheme.

Music
instead of the merry C-major opening, the orchestra now plays the ballet music in Act I
(1-4, with variations and motifs from 1-13 and 1-15) as the overture.

Designs
are mostly made of wave structures and paintings. In ‘to the Underworld’, the kinetic waves represent the furies.