Orpheus X

Dec. 10th, 2009 11:15 pm
ellenkushner: (Latvian THOMAS)
[personal profile] ellenkushner
I am a huge Rinde Eckert fan - to me, his work practically defines "interstitial," and his performance is always electrifying. We went tonight w/Chiara to see his "Orpheus X" at TFNA, where it's playing through Dec. 20th. I don't think Chiara moved a muscle for the entire 90 minutes. The moment Rinde appeared, opened his mouth & let out that voice (and that passion), I practically started crying from pure joy. [livejournal.com profile] deliasherman will probably write it all up with all her erudite observations from the subway trip home.

All I can say for now is that he & director Woodruff rang some terrific changes on the story: He's a popstar (in a near-future world meltdown), locked in his apartment; She's a small-press poet who died in his arms when his taxi hit her in the rain. She goes into the Underworld desperate to write ("When you're dead, they take away your pens and pencils") and is given chalk by the Queen of the Dead (played by a man who doubles as Orpheus' manager on earth - they also have an adorable [to a relative degree - the whole show is pretty intense!] duet about what it's like to sit at your desk & write.... "And then it's done?" the Queen says, and Euridice gently corrects her: "And then it's begun."). Too tired to say more now, but I wanted to let you know that, at least. There's a good interview with Rinde while he was developing the show for ART here; I just wish TFANA would put online his program notes for the current version, which are excellent.

Now I'm listening to the entire Monteverdi Orfeo on YouTube - just so I can find the heartrendingly glorious [well, damn! I've played the whole thing, and he never sang The Song! And there's no way even on Google to look up "the tune that goes daaaa-dum, da daaaa dum....."!]

Date: 2009-12-11 02:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com
Goddamit, I *am* an early music specialist! Well, kind of. Anyhow, it wouldn't have been cut. It's famous. Must be by someone else entirely. Maybe it's not even Euridice. Maybe it's some other guy singing about some other missing girl.

Saw the Morris Orfeo (Gluck's) - loved it, but waited the entire time for "my" song to come on....

Date: 2009-12-11 12:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elissaann.livejournal.com
I'm trying to think of which tune you're thinking of from the Monteverdi. If you sang some of it and posted a sound file, you would probably get your answer within minutes from your faithful readers. Almost as good as Googling?

As a consolation, I bring you the glorious Janet Baker singing "Che Faro" from the Gluck version of the story. Although it's the wrong century, it will bring joy to anyone who listens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brGYq97Of6w

Date: 2009-12-11 02:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com
Yes - my Fearless Readers have been right about everything else, after all. But "sound file"...? Must investigate!

Baker is indeed glorious. We saw the Mark Morris version of the Gluck last year, and i waited the entire time for them to sing my song then, too . . . .

Date: 2009-12-11 12:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/
Oh, that sounds glorious. You get such good theatre in NY.

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