die orpheus-akte (2005)
(for viola, piano and ensemble)

name: Orpheus
born: in Thrace
parents: the Muse Calliope and Apollo (son of Zeus and Leto)
profession: musician
His vocals and cithara playing affect even animals and plants
Crew member on the voyage of the Argonauts on the Black Sea,
setting the rhythm for the oarsmen, participation in the Odyssey:
his music drowns out the call of the Sirens
marriage to Eurydice
Eurydice dies of a snake bite at the jealous hands of Aristaeus
Orpheus wants his wife back
He descends to the underworld and impresses the local lords with his music so that
They return his wife to him on the condition that he is not allowed to
look back when leaving the underworld. He promptly looks back and
loses Eurydice once more, whereupon she must return to the realm of the dead.
He performs for the lords of the underworld yet again,
playing even more beautifully than before and (happy end) gets Eurydice back again