Orpheus and Eurydice

When death claims the love of his life, the musician Orpheus vows to steal her back—even if that means journeying to the underworld to save her.

Read Complete Synopsis

• Overture

  Orpheus is unable to find an outlet for his immense emotional grief following the death of his wife, Eurydice. Lost in his thoughts, he replays memories of their relationship and the final moments before her passing.

• Act I

  At Eurydice’s funeral, Orpheus remains lost in his trauma. As the unbearable loss turns to anger, he cries to the gods to restore Eurydice to him. Amore, goddess of love, appears and comforts him. Pitying Orpheus, the gods allow him to traverse the land of the dead to retrieve Eurydice on condition that he not look upon her until they have reached the land of the living. Orpheus agrees and begins his journey.

• Act II

  Orpheus approaches Hades, where the Furies and lost souls try to deny his passage. However, Orpheus’ singing softens their pain and elicits their compassion to grant him safe passage. In Elysium, Orpheus is moved by the surrounding beauty but feels emptiness after not finding his beloved. Eurydice is brought back to him, and without looking at her, Orpheus leads her away.

• Act III

  Orpheus leads Eurydice through a labyrinth out of the underworld. Eurydice yearns for Orpheus to look at her, but he is forbidden to do so and unable to explain why. Eurydice suggests that eternal death would have been preferable to his coldness toward her. Unable to bear it, Orpheus turns to look upon Eurydice, only to see her die again. Orpheus contemplates how he can live without her and decides to end his life. Amore stops him and gifts Orpheus wholeness and acceptance.

Dive deeper by exploring articles before or after the opera!

• Singer. Bassoon Player. Conductor. Peter Whelan Shares His Multi-Hyphenate Life

  Conductor Peter Whelan still remembers the first time he heard a three-part harmony. He was just another student, conscripted into the school musical, and the sound would change his life forever.

  “It was like the gates to heaven were open,” Whelan explains. “I knew this was something I had to pursue.”

  Now an Olivier Award-winning conductor and artistic director, Whelan offers a glimpse into his work on this fall’s Orpheus and Eurydice, including the inspiration he takes from its cast.

  Read the full article.

• Talking Rollercoasters and Pop Stars With Choreographer Rena Butler

  As a child, choreographer and dancer Rena Butler would criss-cross the United States with her parents, seeking out the most dizzying new rollercoasters in the country. She was a thrill-seeker even then. So when the opportunity arose to try a new art form—opera—she couldn't resist. 
  
  “I'm always putting myself in situations where I like to see how far I can push myself, how much I can be uncomfortable," she says.
  
  Read on to hear how she came to love opera—and what her vision is for a dance-infused Orpheus and Eurydice. 

• Backstage with Matthew: Journeying through the soul

  Something quite extraordinary is coming into being on the War Memorial stage at the moment and I wanted to share my reflections on our new Orpheus and Eurydice with you. The stage is surging with creative energy with our beautiful new productions of both Orpheus and Traviata and I hope you will come and see them both. But if you don’t yet have plans to see Orpheus, I wanted to urge you to come and be a part of this. It is a profoundly beautiful statement of what opera can and should be—a unique expression on our stage that will speak to your very soul.

  Read More