Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice: Don't Look Back in Ardor
b"When someone you love dies, how far would you be willing to go to bring them back? Orpheus, the ancient Greek musician, goes to hell and back to have a love of his life, Eurydice, by his side again. The gods cut a deal with Orpheus: he can bring his love back from hell, but all throughout the journey, she has to follow behind him and he is not allowed to look back at her. Unable to resist, he turns to see her,\\xa0 and the gods take her for a second time. In a moment of overwhelming grief, Orpheus asks, \\u201cWhat will I do without Eurydice.\\u201d\\xa0\\nIn this episode, host Rhiannon Giddens and her guests reflect on Christoph Gluck's operatic adaptation of the Orpheus myth and how grief can be all-encompassing, but so can love. At the end of the show, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton sings \\u201cChe far\\xf2 senza Euridice\\u201d from the Metropolitan Opera stage.\\nThe Guests\\nMezzo-soprano Jamie Barton grew up in a musical family, with days full of bluegrass, classic rock, and music history quizzes about the Beatles. In her role debut as Orfeo, she searches for this hero\\u2019s vulnerability, dramatically and vocally, and figures out how to embody a version of this character that\\u2019s modeled on Johnny Cash.\\xa0\\nAuthor Ann Patchett stumbled upon her love for opera while writing her book Bel Canto. But the Orpheus myth has been part of her life -- and has influenced her writing -- for quite a lot longer.\\xa0 She\\u2019s fairly certain that she would travel to the depths of hell to save her husband of 25 years.\\xa0\\nJim Walter lost his wife to cancer in 2015. He cared for her through some very difficult years, and kept hope alive even when things looked hopeless. He says that nowadays, his grief usually isn\\u2019t as immediate and gut-punching as it once was, but he is still sometimes overcome with sadness at unexpected moments."