Orfeo

Monteverdi’s Orfeo, originally performed in 1607, is the first unquestioned masterpiece of opera. A “musical fable,” it tells the story of Orpheus, the demi-god whose music had the power to conquer the forces of Hell. Orpheus struggles with melancholy—he sees the sun hidden behind the clouds—and his love for Eurydice brings the sun out, only to have the all the stars completely blocked out by her death and his descent into the Underworld. Choruses of nymphs, shepherds, and otherworldly spirits embody humanity’s struggle with love, death, and the power of music