ORPHEUS

Created and performed by the PAN.OPTIKUM action theatre group

Premiere 21 July 2004 in the “Jahrhunderthalle” Bochum in collaboration with the RuhrTriennale, the Street Theatre Festival in Schwerte and the “Aidshilfe Freiburg e.V.” (the AIDS help association in Freiburg) with the support of Boehringer/Ingelheim

Performance:

ORPHEUS was the son of the muse Calliope and Apollon in the depiction by Lactanz. According to Hrabanus, Mercury passed on the lyre that he had just invented. Orpheus mastered the instrument to such an extent that he could cause trees to move, stop rivers from flowing, and tame wild animals. Vergil recounts the following story about him. In Vergil’s version, Orpheus fell in love with the nymph Eurydice, whose love he won through his singing and whom he then married. Aristaeus, a shepherd, was entranced by her. One day as she walking along the shores of the Hebrus in the company of dryads, he intended to seduce her. She fled from his advances and, in doing so, stepped on a snake which was lying hidden in the grass. The snake lunged at her and killed her with its deadly bite. Orpheus lamented his loss and descended into the realm of the dead. He accompanied his plea that Eurydice be restored to him with such sweet music on his lyre that those presiding over the Underworld were moved to pity and even the shades and spectral images forgot their torture.

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