Met Opera talk: Eurydice

Composer and librettist Scott Eyerly will give a free virtual talk on the Met Opera — Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice on the Thursday before the Metropolitan Opera’s broadcast live in HD over the weekend.

Eurydice an Auloniad, a nymph of the valley or ravine who lived in mountain meadows and often spent time with Pan, the god of mountains, forests, music and improvisation. Orpheus the singer is her husband. Her name is translated as a wide judgement or power.

In the ancient Greek myth, she is persued by a jealous god, runs from him and is bitten by a serpent. Orpheus descends into the underworld after her, trying to bring her back. Their story has inspired composers since opera’s earliest days.

American composer Matthew Aucoin now carries that tradition into the 21st century with a captivating new take on the story—a product of the Met’s commissioning program. With a libretto by Sarah Ruhl, adapted from her acclaimed 2003 play, the opera reimagines the familiar tale from Eurydice’s point of view.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin oversees the December 4 transmission, leading Aucoin’s evocative music and an immersive new staging by Mary Zimmerman. Soprano Erin Morley sings the title role, opposite baritone Joshua Hopkins as Orpheus and countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński as his otherworldly alter-ego. Bass-baritone Nathan Berg is Eurydice’s father and fellow resident of the underworld, with tenor Barry Banks as Hades himself. This live transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.

Eyerly’s popular lecture series at the Mahaiwe and his sold-out courses at The Juilliard School’s Evening Division are drawing musicians and curious listeners of all kinds.

You can listen in from this Zoom link

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