2. Orpheus - Epic Hero or Drama Queen?

The myths, tales, and concepts of ancient Greece echo and reach into every aspect of modern life. Often misunderstood, frequently romanticised, and sometimes deliberately twisted - to understand their origins and truth is to get a real glimpse into the universal themes that connect us to the past and each other.

Welcome to Podyssey with Alex Andreou. Each week we will take one myth, one concept, person, place, or theme from Ancient Greece, take it apart, figure out its inner workings, trace its influence, juice it for its wisdom, reimagine, update and put it back together - all shiny and new! 

… 

Orpheus and his lyre. Orpheus and Euridice. Orpheus and the Argonauts. Orpheus in the Underworld. Orpheus and his lament. Orpheus and his pain. Orpheus, Orpheus, Orpheus. The quintessential suffering artist. The shining example of love’s triumph over even death. 

Or maybe just a performative, entitled, 'singer-songwriter' nepo-baby .

Written and presented by Alex Andreou

Expert contributions by Alexandra Angeletaki-Røe, Debbie Challis, Linda Marric, and Dr Ruth Smith

Exec. Producers Naomi Smith & Kenny Campbell

Music by Marianna Sangita

Artwork by Simona Kanellou

For Cooler Heads, in collaboration with Sandstone Global

NOTES

MUSIC 

Roy Henderson - Orpheus with his lute - PRIVATE COLLECTION 

Reinhold Glière - Harp Concerto In B Flat Major, Op. 4, Larghetto - on YOUTUBE 

Salli Terri & Laurindo Almeida - Black is the color - on SPOTIFY 

Oluf Dimitri Røe - Sabouna of Mykonos - on SPOTIFY 

Elena Polonska - Ciaccona - on YOUTUBE 

Monteverdi - L’Orfeo “Tu sei morta” Enrico de Franceschi (Orfeo) - PRIVATE COLLECTION 

Glück - Orfeo e Euridice “Ché faró senza Euridice” Nan Merriman (Orfeo) - Telephone Hour TV ARCHIVE 

Pedro Infante - Soy Infeliz - on SPOTIFY 

Marianna Sangita & Oluf Dimitri Røe - Lafina (The Doe) - on SPOTIFY

Korngold - Die Tote Stadt “Glück das mir verblieb” Ilona Steingruber & Anton Dermota - on YOUTUBE

Billie Holiday - “I’ll be seeing you” - on SPOTIFY

FILM

Coco (2017) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/  

Orphée (1950) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041719/ 

Orfeu Negru (1959) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053146/  

Inception (2010) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/  

The English Patient (1996) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116209/  

Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101452/  

Chinatown (1974) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071315/ 

Apocalypse Now (1979) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078788/ 

Contact (1997) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118884/ 

What Dreams May Come (1998) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120889/ 

Pet Sematary (2019) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0837563/ 

Weekend at Bernie’s (1989) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098627/ 

Death becomes her (1992) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104070/ 

Vertigo (1958) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052357/ 

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8613070/ 

Fitzcarraldo (1982) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083946/ 

ARTWORK 

Orpheus embracing his lyre by Unknown 

Red figure vase depicting the head of Orpheus by Unknown here and here.

More about red-figure pottery 

Examples of Orpheus charming the animals here, here, here, here, here, and here.

An example of Orphic Christ

“Nymphs finding the head of Orpheus” by Waterhouse 

“Thracian Girl carrying the Head of Orpheus on his Lyre” by Moreau

“Euridice dying” by Lebœf

“Orpheus leading Euridice from the Underworld” by Cortot 

Vergil’s version of the Orpheus myth 

More about the Derveni Papyrus 

Reiner Maria Rilke’s “Sonnets to Orpheus”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices