Orpheus (Liszt)
Franz Liszt composed his Orpheus in 1853-4, numbering it No. 4 in his cycle of 12 symphonic poems written during his time in Weimar, Germany. It was first performed on February 16, 1854, conducted by the composer, as an introduction to the first Weimar performance of Christoph Willibald Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice. The performance helped celebrate the birthday of Weimar's Grand Duchess Maria Pawlowna, who was an amateur musician and a staunch supporter of Liszt at Weimar.
Read more about Orpheus (Liszt): Bibliography
Famous quotes containing the word orpheus:
“So Orpheus did for his owne bride,
So I unto my selfe alone will sing,
The woods shall to me answer and my Eccho ring.”
—Edmund Spenser (1552?–1599)