Completed in 2001, Ricky Ian Gordon's hour-long song cycle Orpheus and Euridice is the most recent interpretation of the Orphic myth by a major composer. The text, which he wrote himself, is at once timeless and highly personal, and the music is epic in scope while still maintaining the blend of modern art music and popular musical theatre for which Mr. Gordon is so well-known. In his setting of the tale, told by the soprano as she recounts a dream she had, Orpheus is represented by the clarinet, who speaks in music through his instrument. Labeled by the composer as a "dramatic song cycle," Orpheus and Euridice was intended to be presented not only through music, but also through movement and stagecraft. The story addresses the pain of loss, and the discovery of how beauty can emerge out of even the darkest of circumstances—a particularly potent theme for our time, and an important one to share.

Featuring:
Heather Dudenbostel, Soprano
Ryan Dudenbostel, Clarinet
Jad Bernardo, Piano

Directed by: Brian Letchworth
Produced by: Sarah Jane Arnegger
Production Supervisor: Griffin Parker
Lighting Designer: Dan Jobbins
Projection Designer: Zhuojie Chen/Brian Letchworth
Assistant Stage Manager: Gabriella Senatore