The myth of Orpheus has been a subject for many operas. The original myth is told by Ovid in Metamorphoses Book X, although it was certainly an oral legend long before Ovid wrote it down.
In case you don't have time to read the myth, here is a little synopsis:
Orpheus was a demigod and the greatest musician in the world. The happiest day of his life was his marriage to the fair Euridice. Unfortunately, soon after their union in matrimony, Euridice is bitten by a snake and dies. Orpheus thinks this is very unfair, so he travels to the underworld and through his charming music, convinces Hades to allow his bride to return to the world of the living. Hades consents with one condition: Orpheus cannot lack at his bride until they leave the underworld. Their journey goes well for a while, but at the last second Orpheus doubts that Euridice is behind him. He looks back to reassure himself and suffers losing her for a second time.
You are a shepherd living around Athens. It is the year 440 BC. You travel into town to attend the City Dionysia, a festival in honor of the god Dionysus. The highlight of the festival is the contest among playwrights to compose the best drama of the year. You take your seat with thousands of others in the ampitheatre. Today's play is "Orpheus In the Underworld." All the characters wear masks and costumes; it is easy to pick out Orpheus, Euridice, and Hades. Of all the plays you see, your favorite is "Orpheus In the Underworld," but the judges give the award to some playwright named Sophocles, although you thought his play, "Andromeda," was rather vulgar. At the end of the day, you are thankful that the city fathers held such celebrations and times of civic entertainment.
Greek drama was not the same as opera, but it had a profound influence on the development of the genre. Composers in the early 17th century believed that Greek drama was sung. Opera developed, in part, as a recreation of the Greek ideal. If Greek drama was sung (there is no really strong evidence for or against the argument), then it was probably a cappella.
It is October 6, 1600. You are now Maria de Medici at the celebration of your marriage to Henry IV of France (not to be confused with the guy Shakespeare wrote three plays about). You are nervous about your role as wife to a king, but your uncle Jacopo Corsi has a gift that he says will calm you. That night, your family and selected guests see a musical play titled Euridice.
As a young bride, you feel a certain connection with Euridice and feel sad when she dies. You wish she had more opportunities to sing, but Orpheus is the center of attention. At the end of the musical play, you are relieved that Euridice is reunited with her groom, but you hope that your marriage never suffers the heartache that Orpheus and Euridice experienced.
Euridice was first performed for the wedding of Maria de Medici and Henry IV, and it is considered the first opera. In order to please the audience, Peri's librettist changed the ending of the original myth. In Peri's version, Euridice and Orpheus are reunited. Peri's opera was not intended for public performance, as future operas would be. It was performed at Antonio de Medici's villa in Florence. Yet Peri and rival Caccini both realized the potential of the new genre. The two men both claimed credit for the new genre and publication rights to Euridice (Caccini's students were used in the performance of the opera on the condition that some of Caccini's music be used in the opera).
You are a member of the Mantuan court; the date is March 1, 1607. You have been invited by the Duke of Mantua to attend the performance of an opera named L'Orfeo . The opera was performed a few days earlier in a small room, but the Duke demands a larger audience and a second performance. You can see how the Duke was very impressed with this opera. It uses a great variety of instruments and clearly told the story of Orpheus's pain. You are especially impressed with the melancholy mood of the underworld. It must be the costumes and great acting.
Monteverdi's L'Orfeo is the first popular opera. While its first performances were for small, elite crowds, L'Orfeo was soon performed outside of Mantua, making it the first opera to successfully be performed in several cities. L'Orfeo was certainly a new experience for its audience. Never before had drama and music been performed on such a large scale. L'Orfeo set the standard for what audience would expect in future operas: large instrumentation, emotional drama, and a large scale production.
You are Emperor Francis I, and today, October 5, 1762, is a holiday in honor of you. All of the nobles of Vienna have gathered to see an opera entitled Orfeo ed Euridice. You know that the story has been adapted by Calzabigi. You hope that his eccentric writing style does not ruin your festival. You are pleasantly surprised that the opera is in great taste. Although the ending is sad, the character development is good, and the plot is emotionally charged. After the performance, the audience cannot stop talking about Calzabigi's dramatic skill, comparing him to the ancient Greek Sophicles and the Englishman Shakespeare.
Orfeo ed Euridice was Gluck's first reform opera, an attempt to return opera to simpler plots and music. Unfortunately, no one in Vienna seemed to care about Gluck's reform attempts. All the publicity went to Calzabigi's adaptation of the Greek myth. In France, though, Gluck found an audience that appreciated his musical style. He released his opera in Paris (with French text) in 1774.
We hope this unique journey has given you a deeper insight into the way audiences have viewed opera. Sometimes our historical point of view is not the same as a first person perspective.