Myth and Music

ORPHEUS
Treasure of Orpheus (1600), Fransique, Anthoine (c.1575-1605).
A work for lute.
o DELOS 3005

Les Pleurs d'Orphée (1647), Rossi, Luigi (1598-1653).
An instrumental work based on Orpheus' lament in act III of the composer's opera.
o ALIA VOX 9815 ("Battaglie & Lamenti")

L’Orfeo (1672), 144:30, Sartorio, Antonio (1630-1680).
An opera on the familiar story, along with additional characters and an occasional comic spirit.
o VANGUARD 99194 (2)

Orpheus and Euridice, Boyce, William (c.1710-1779).
o SAGA 3332 ("Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Songs and Catches")

Orpheus (1726), 159:30, Telemann, Georg Philipp (1681-1767).
In a switch of plot, Queen Orasia is responsible for Eurydice's death out of passion for Orpheus; and after his unsuccessful attempt to rescue Eurydice, she sets the Bacchantes on Orpheus for rejecting her.
o HARMONIA MUNDI FRANCE 901618 (2)

Orpheus with his Lute (1745), Greene, Maurice (1696-1755).
A song on Shakespeare's Henry VIII III, i about the power of Orpheus' music.
o MUSICA OSCURA 070978

Orpheus-Quadrille (1860), 5:30, Strauss II, Johann (1825-1899).
A work inspired by Offenbach’s work.
o MARCO POLO 8.223221

Mélodie d’Orphée, 4:30, Sgambati, Giovanni (1841-1914).
A piano transcription of a melody from Gluck.
o PHILIPS 456991 (2) ("Earl Wild: the Art of Transcription")

Orpheus and His Lute (1892), German, Edward (1862-1936).
A song based on lines from Shakespeare.
o EMI 56830 ("The English Songbook")

Euridice, 3:30, De Moraes, Vinicius (1913-1980).
A guitar work in bossa nova style.
o FINE TUNE 2244 ("Brazil Guitar Magic"), PAMPA MUSIC ("Tributo a Vinicius"), POLYGRAM 519216 (" Baden Powell: Three Originals"), SONY 63011 ("Dance of the Angel"), VOGUE/SIGLA 600291 ("Guitares du Bresil, vol. 1")

The Mask of Orpheus (1973-83), 160:30, Birtwistle, Harrison (1934-).
An opera presenting the basic story, but in an original way as different, sometimes contradictory, versions of the same episode are presented at the same time; the same episode is presented from different perspectives; and each major character is represented by singer, mime, and puppet.
o NMC D050 (3)

Orfeo 1 (1975), 13:00, Musgrave, Thea (1929-).
A work for flute, representing Orpheus, and pre-recorded tape, representing other characters, as his journey to the underworld exists only in his imagination.
o NEUMA 450-95 (with her Kairos and Narcissus)

In Sweet Music (1978), 25:00, Schuman, William (1910-1992).
A reworking of his Orpheus song from his 1944 incidental music for Shakespeare's Henry VIII.
o CRI 791 (with his Night Journey [Oedipus])

Orpheus (1980), 12:30, Betts, Donald.
A piano work in three parts, recalling Orpheus’ descent to Hades seeking Eurydice
o CENTAUR 2332

Orfei i Evridika (1980), Zhurbin, Aleksandr.
A rock opera.
o ALBANY TROY 375/6 (2)

Orpheus (1982), Iannacone, Richard (1943-).
The first part of a work for wind ensemble entitled Images of Song and Dance. (2nd part Terpsichore).
o ALBANY TROY 280

Orpheus (1988), 8:30, James, Bob (1939-).
A jazz work.
o JCI 2716 ("Jazzin' II"), TAPPAN ZEE 25757 ("Ivory Coast"), WARNER BROTHERS 25757 (same recording)

Sonnets to Orpheus (1991), 32:00, Danielpour, Richard (1956-).
Music for mezzo-soprano, violin, and piano for Stephen Mitchell's translation of six poems from Rainer Maria Rilke's Die Sonette an Orpheus, a work held together by the figures of Orpheus and a young dancer.
o SONY 60850

Orphée Suite (1991), 28:00, Glass, Philip (1937-).
A  transcription for solo piano of an orchestral work about Orpheus' descent to Hades and his return.
o ORANGE MOUNTAIN 8

Orphée: Interlude (1993), 2:30, Glass, Philip (1937-).
A playful piece for chamber orchestra accompanying Orpheus' return home from the underworld.
o NONESUCH 79496, ORANGE MOUNTAIN 0008

Orpheus for Chamber Orchestra (1995), 20:00, Walker, George (1922-).
A work in six parts for narrator, vocalist (Eurydice), and chamber orchestra about the well-known story from his descent into the underworld until his death.
o ALBANY TROY 270

Orpheus Left His Heart (1997), 16:30, Handel, Darrell (1933-).
A work for harp and orchestra.
o VIENNA MODERN MASTERS 3046 ("The Orpheus Oracle" with his Orpheus Oracle and Gerhard Samuel's Hyacinth from Apollo and Remembering Orpheus)

Sonnets to Orpheus   (1997), 30:00, Moe, Eric ().
Music for soprano and piano set to poems from Rainer Maria Rilke's Die Sonette an Orpheus, a work held together by the figures of Orpheus and a young dancer.
o KOCH INTERNATIONAL CLASSICS 7524 (with his Siren Songs")

Remembering Orpheus (1997), 13:00, Samuel, Gerhard (1924-).
A work for tenor, saxophone, string quartet and orchestra.
o VIENNA MODERN MASTERS 3046 ("The Orpheus Oracle" with his Hyacinth from Apollo and Darrell Handels' Orpheus Left His Heart and Orpheus Oracle)

Orpheus Oracle (1998), 14:30, Handel, Darrell (1933-).
A work for piano trio.
o VIENNA MODERN MASTERS 3046 ("The Orpheus Oracle" with his Orpheus Left His Heart and Gerhard Samuel's Hyacinth from Apollo and Remembering Orpheus)

Hear, Orphean Serfs, Alfven, Hugo (1872-1960).
A song for male voices.
o BIS 633

Les Blues d’Orphée, Rea, John (1944-).
In the words of the composer, "a kind of operatic scene without words" on the familiar story of Orpheus’ descent into the underworld with different instruments representing each of the characters.
o ECLECTRA 2045

Orpheus, Sylvian, David (1958-).
A pop-rock song.
o ATLANTIC 90677 ("Secrets of the Beehive"), VIRGIN 86028, 90677 (same recording)

The Death of Orpheus, Menotti, Gian-Carlo (1911-).
o CHANDOS 9979

Orpheus and the Maenads, 20:30, Lombardo, Robert (1932-)
A concerto for mandolin and string orchestra inspired by the Maenads' attack on Orpheus..
o ALBANY 611

o GLOBE 5182 ("Orpheus with his Lute")

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PAN
Hymn to Pan (1912), Clarke, Rebecca (1886-1979).
A song for tenor, baritone, and piano.
o ASV 1136 (with her Philomela)

Pan (1924), 3:30, Roussel, Albert (1869-1937).
The first part of Joueurs de Flûte, a four-part work for flute, inspired by a character from myth or literature.
o DENON 1476 ("La Flûte à Paris", with Jolivet’s Chant de Linos), PAN 510110 ("French Flute and Piano", with Debussy’s Faun)

Pagan Piper (1984), 4:00, Ball, Christopher (1936-).
Evocations of Pan for recorder, inspired by a poem of Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
PAVANE 7404

Pan Dreams (1989), 11:00, Parker, Jon Kimura (1959-).
A modernistic work for flute and piano about Pan's awakening.
o ARIZONA FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC F97 ("The Tucson 4th Winter Chamber Music Festival")

Tricky Pan (1995), 9:30, Leach, Mary Jane (1949-).
A work for solo countertenor and tape on a poem by the 14^th century poet Solage.
o NEW WORLD 80525 (with her Ariadne's Lament)

Pan Overheard, Ball, Christopher (1936-).
Evocations of Pan for recorder.
PAVANE 7404

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PANDORA
Pandora (1992), 5:30, Watanabe, Kuzu (1953-).
o GRAMMAVISION/RHINO

Pandora, Ozone, Makato .
A piano solo with jazz elements inspired by the mythical character.
o WARNER DH001 (3) ("Eastman Wind Ensemble at 50")

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PARIS
The Judgment of Paris, anon.
A menuet for piano played at an I. Friedman concert.
o PEARL IF2000

This Way Mortal Bend thy Eyes (1701), 2:30, Weldon, John (1676-1736).
A song about Athene’s claiming the golden apple from the composer’s prize-winning music for William Congreve’s The Judgement of Paris.
o MUSICA OSCURA 070979 ("Sound the Trumpets from Shore to Shore", with Eccles’ Ah, How Lovely, Sweet and Dear [Galatea], Daniel Purcell’s With Horns & with Hounds [Artemis], and excerpts from his, Eccles’, Finger’s, and D. Purcell’s music for Congreve’s The Judgment of Paris)

Hark the Glorious Voice of War (1701), 1:30, Weldon, John (1676-1736).
Another song, this one about the coming of the Trojan War, from the composer’s prize-winning music for William Congreve’s The Judgement of Paris.
o MUSICA OSCURA 070979 ("Sound the Trumpets from Shore to Shore", with Eccles’ Ah, How Lovely, Sweet and Dear [Galatea], Daniel Purcell’s With Horns & with Hounds [Artemis], and excerpts from his, Eccles’, Finger’s, and D. Purcell’s music for Congreve’s The Judgment of Paris)

Awake, Awake, thy Spirrits Raise (1701), 3:00, Eccles, John (c.1668-1735).
A song about Athene’s calling for war from his second-place music for William Congreve’s The Judgement of Paris.
o MUSICA OSCURA 070979 ("Sound the Trumpets from Shore to Shore", with his Ah, How Lovely, Sweet and Dear [Galatea], Daniel Purcell’s With Horns & with Hounds [Artemis], and excerpts from Finger’s, Weldon’s, and D. Purcell’s music for Congreve’s The Judgment of Paris)

Sonata for Two Trumpets, Two Violins, Tenor and Basses (1701), 4:00, Purcell, Daniel (c.1660-1717).
The opening music for his third-place music for William Congreve’s The Judgement of Paris.
o MUSICA OSCURA 070979 ("Sound the Trumpets from Shore to Shore", with his With Horns & with Hounds [Artemis], Eccles’ Ah, How Lovely, Sweet and Dear [Galatea], and excerpts from Eccles’, Finger’s and Weldon’s music for Congreve’s The Judgment of Paris)

Sonata for Violin, Hautboy, and Basse (1701), 8:00, Finger, Gottfried (c.1660-1730).
Probably music from his entry in the Congreve competition.
o MUSICA OSCURA 070979 ("Sound the Trumpets from Shore to Shore", with Eccles’ Ah, How Lovely, Sweet and Dear [Galatea], Daniel Purcell’s With Horns & with Hounds [Artemis], and excerpts from Eccles’, D. Purcell’s, and Weldon’s music for Congreve’s The Judgment of Paris)

O Ravishing Delight (1740, rev. 1759), 3:30, Arne, Thomas (1710-1778).
An excerpt from The Judgment of Paris.
o PEARL 9590 ("Valerie Masterson")

The Golden Apple (1954), 51:00, Moross, Jerome (1913-1983).
The judgment of Paris is transferred to Mt. Olympus in the state of Washington just after the Spanish-American War in this musical comedy.
o RCA 68934

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PEGASUS
Pegasus (1998), 4:00, Guettel, Adam.
A song from material from an off-Broadway production called Saturn Returns: a Concert, a sort of modern-day song cycle, this one a dialogue between the horse and Bellerophon.
o NONESUCH 79530 ("Myths and Hymns")

PENTHESILEIA
Penthesilea Prologue (1888), 15:30, Draeseke, Felix (1835-1913).
An orchestral work inspired by Kleist's drama.
o MD+G 335104

PENTHEUS
Die Bakchantinnen (1931), 100:00, Wellesz, Egon (1885-1974).
An opera with political overtones adapted by the composer from Euripides' Bacchae.
o ORFEO 136012 (2)

Persephone (1936), 27:00, (Maurice, Pierre (1868-1936).
An orchestral suite about Persephone as a symbol for the return of spring.
o STERLING 1053 (with his Daphne)

PERSEUS
Persée (1682), 165:00, Lully, Jean-Baptiste (1632-1687).
An opera based on Books IV and V of Ovid’s Metamorphoses with many additions plot lines.
o ASTRÉE 8874 (3), ERATO 44655 (3)

Persée et Andromède (1921), 40:00, Ibert, Jacques (1890-1962).
A two-act opera based on a story in Jules Laforges' Moralités Légendaires with a twist.
o AVIE 0008

Andromeda e Perseo (1787), 5:00, Haydn, Michael (1737-1806).
The overture from a dramma per musica commissioned to mark the anniversary of the enthronement of Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo.
o CPO 999513

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PHAEDRA
Ippolito ed Aricia (1759), 240:00, Traetta, Tommaso (1727-1779).
An opera based on a reworking of Rameau's opera of the same name.
o DYNAMIC 257 (4)

Fedra: Preludio (1914), 9:00, Pizzetti, Ildebrando (1880-1968).
The orchestral prelude to his first successful opera based on D’Annunzio’s play about a passionate and defiant woman.
o MARCO POLO 8.225058

Phaedra (!973-4),  Rochberg, George (1918-).
A work for voice and orchestra based on Robert Lowell's translation of Racine.
o NAXOS8.559120

Ode to Phaedra (1995), 48:30, Roumanis, George ().
A three act opera based on the ill-fated mythical figure, originally performed on P.B.S. television.
o GR0211

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PHILOMELA
Philomela Waltz, Strauss I, Johann (1804-18490.
A waltz.
o DG 1849 (2)

Philomela (1914), Clarke, Rebecca (1886-1979).
A choral song.
o ASV 1136 (with her Hymn to Pan)

An Philomele (1947-9), 2:00, Schoeck, Othmar (1886-1957).
A song from Das Holde Bescheiden for soprano, tenor, and piano on Eduard Mörike’s poem.
o CLAVES 9308/9 (2), JECKLIN 681/2 (2)

POLYPHEMUS
Polifemo, Cesti, Antonio (1623-1669)
A cantata for one voice and continuo.
o ACCORD 20060

POMONA
Pomona (1927), 20:00, Lambert, Constant (1905-1951).
Music for a ballet about Vertumnus’ overtures to Pomona, at first rejected, finally successful.
o ASV 2122, CHANDOS 9865, HYPERION 67049 (with his Tiresias)

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POSEIDON
Neptune, 4:30, Mamet, Bob.
An instrumental for jazz quartet.
o ATLANTIC JAZZ 82824 ("Day into Night")

PROMETHEUS
Prometheus (1966), 130:00, Orff, Carl (1895-1982).
An opera on Aescylus’ play.
o ACANTA 442099, ORFEO 526992 (2)

La Belle Musique no. 3 (1977), 19:30, Rabinovitch, Alexandre (1945-).
An orchestral work suggesting material progress through the gift of fire from Prometheus.
o MEGADISC 7831(with his Schwanengesang an Apollo)

Io, Frammento de Prometeo (1981), 72:30, Nono, Luigi (1924-1990).
A work for three sopranos, chamber chorus, bass flute, bass clarinet, and live electronics based on literary fragments from Aschylus to Rilke.
o COL LEGO 20060 (2)

Prometheus (1983), Antoniou, Theodore (1935-).
A work for baritone and orchestra.
o AGORA 109

Promethean (1985), 3:30, Miller, Mulgrew (1955-).
A work for jazz trio inspired by the Titan who is known for his creative powers.
o LANDMARK 1507 ("Keys to the City")

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PROTEUS
The Creatures of Proteus (1992), 12:30, Bertrand, Alvaro (1952-).
A tone poem for band and Proteus 2XR synthesizer on the composer's personal reaction to the war in Bosnia as an evil transformation of the sea god who can change into any shape as the synthesizer can create many different sounds.
o VIENNA MODERN MASTERS 3034 ("Music from Six Continents 1995 Series")

PSYCHE
Psyche (), Mascitti, Michele (1664-1760).
A violin sonata inspired by the mythical character.
o VIRGIN 45588
 
Psyche Wandelt durch Säulenhaalen (1916), 3:00, Albert, Eugen (1864-1932).
An aria from the opera Die Toten Augen, set in Jerusalem in the time of Christ, in which the blind Myrtocle reminds her husband of Psyche’s inability to see her husband. When her sight is restored by Christ, she discovers that her husband is extremely ugly and stares at the sun until she becomes blind again.
o GEMM 94 10, MET 703 ("Lotte Lehmann"), PREISER 89302, 89065

PYGMALION
Galathée (1852), 74:00, Massé, Victor (1822-1884).
A French opéra-comique.
o MALIBRAN 128

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SATYRS AND FAUNS
Der Satyrn Tanz (1617), 1:30, Brade, William (1560-1630).
A dance from court entertainment between acts of a play.
o HMF 907165 (Mascharada", with Simpson's Satyr's Dance), RS 6367 ("Gioite Tutti in Suoni, Canti e Balli: Danzi Europee Tra XVI E XVII Secolo", with Gastoldi's La Sirena)

SEMELE
El estrago en la Fineza o Jupiter y Semele (1718), 99:00, de Literes, Antonio (1673-1747).
A Spanish opera-like work with spoken dialogue on the familiar story.
o DEUTSCHE HARMONIA MUNDI 77336 ("Barroco Español vol. 2 - Zarzuelas", with his Azis y Galatea), HARMONIA MUNDI 987036 (2)

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SIBYL
Sibila Latine (10^th century), 18:30, anon.
A work for voice, choir, and instrumental ensemble on a text found in Augustine's The City of God XVIII, 23 and used at matins on Christmas Eve as the Cumaean sibyl prophesizes the second coming of Christ at the Last Judgment, in Latin.
o ASTRÉE 8705 ("Cant de la Sibilla", with the Sibilla Provençal and Sibilla Catalane)

o ALIA VOX 9806 ("El Cant de la Sibilla")

Sibilla Provençale (Judicii Signum) (12th cent.), 13:00, anon.
A variation of the same text in Provençal.
o ASTRÉE 8705 ("Cant de la Sibilla", with the Sibilla Latine and Sibilla Catalane, ERATO 45647

Sibila Galacia (12^th cent.), 37:30, anon.
Another variation of the same text.
o ASTRÉE 9942 ("El Canto de la Sibila II", with the Sibila Castella)

Sibilla Catalane (El Cant de la Sibilla) (14^th century), 16:00, anon.
A variation of the same text in Catalan, kept alive in Majorca even after it was outlawed by the Council of Trent in the 16^th century.
o ASTRÉE 8705 ("Cant de la Sibilla", with the Sibilla Latine and Sibilla Provençal), OPUS111 30-130 ("Barcelona Mass/Sibilla/Obsidienne")

Sibila Mallorquina (mid-15th century), 25:00, anon.
Another variation of the same text.
o ALIA VOX 9806 ("El Cant de la Sibilla 3", with the Sibila Valenciana)

Sibila Castellana (16^th cent.), 34:00, anon.
Another variation of the same text.
o ASTRÉE 9942 ("El Canto de la Sibila II", with the Sibila Galacia)

Sibila Valenciana (mid-16th century), 36:30, anon.
Another variation of the same text.
o ALIA VOX 9806 ("El Cant de la Sibilla 3", with the Sibila Mallorquina)

Sybille (1968), 16:30, Ohana, Maurice (1914-1992).
A work for soprano and percussion suggesting the prophetic prophetess from Vergil’s Aeneid.
o ADÈS 14.122/5 (4) ("Musique de Notre Temps: Repères 1945/1975")

Die Sibyllen (1973), 23:00, Orff, Carl (1895-1982).
The first of three sections from De Temporum Fine Comoedia in which nine sibyls foretell the destruction of the wicked and praise the one God.
o DG 429859

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SIRENS
Sirena, anon.
A song.
o ALIENOR 1012

La Sirena (1591), 3:00, Gastoldi, Gian (1555-c.1622).
A work for five voices and strings about the allurement of this creature of the sea.
o RS 6367 ("Gioite Tutti in Suoni, Canti e Balli: Danzi Europee Tra XVI E XVII Secolo", with Brade's Der Satyrn Tanz)

The Syrens (1776), Fisher, John Abraham (1744-1806).
The overture to a masque about the Sirens.
o DORIAN 93251 ("Syrens, Enchanters, & Fairies")

Die Sirene (1868), 3:30, Strauss, Josef (1827-1870).
A polka mazur perhaps inspired by the mythical character.
o MARCO POLO 8.223619

Sailor to a Siren (1984), 5:00, Durkee, Sarah and Jacobs, Paul.
A song for the rock artist Meatloaf.
o ALEX IMPORTS 3105 ("Bad Attitude"), RCA 55451 (same recording), PICKWICK 4121 ("Rock’n’roll Hero")

Siren Songs (1997), 23:00, Moe, Eric ().
Music for soprano, oboe, two violins, viola, violoncello, and piano set to poems of various authors over 3,000 years.
o KOCH INTERNATIONAL CLASSICS 7524 (with his Sonnets to Orpheus")

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TIRESIAS
Tiresias (1951), 54:00, Lambert, Constant.
Music for a ballet in three scenes about his being turned into a woman, then back into a man, and his blinding and receiving the the gift of prophecy.
o HYPERION 67049 (with his Pomona)

TROJAN WAR
Se Alexandre et Hector Fussent en Vie (late 14^th cent.), 13:00, Robert, Johan ("Trebor").
A ballade in which the singer states that, if Paris and Hector were still alive, they would not be as great or courageous as Mathieu de Foix, successor to Gaston Febús (c.1393).
o ARCANA 32 ("Balades a III Chans", with Le Mont Aon de Thrace and Se Zephirus, Phebus, et Leur Lignie)

Ghosts of Troy (2000), 14:00, Boyer, Peter (1970-).
A six-movement orchestral synopsis of Homer's Iliad.
o KOCH 7523 (with his Three Olympians for String Orchestra)

Music for the Iliad (2002), 90:00, various composers.
Computer-generated music to accompany Otto Steen Due's translation of the Iliad.
o MARCO POLO 8.224198 (2)

ZEUS
Zeus und Elide (1928), 26:30, Wolpe, Stefan (1902-1972).
A musical grotesque in which Zeus, while searching for Europa, finds a soap advertisement for Elide and lusts for the female depicted in it, personified by the prostitute Charlotte, whom he pursues to comic effect.
o LONDON 460001