Reception Radio: Possente Spirto (from L'Orfeo), by Claudio Monteverdi

A particularly historic Orpheus

We return to familiar territory for this instalment of Reception Radio. Possente Spirto is an excerpt from another musical adaptation of the Orpheus myth, the creatively titled L’Orfeo. Last time I touched on Orpheus’ story, he and Eurydice starred in a video game soundtrack, but now I want to explore an older type of music. Specifically, I want to take you back to the beginning of the Baroque period, and the earliest days of opera.

The Baroque period (roughly 1600-1750) was a golden age for ancient Mediterranean reception in western music. There are so many beautiful works from that time that are based on antiquity, especially on ancient myths. The Orpheus myth was a somewhat obvious favourite among Baroque composers, including Claudio Monteverdi, who I discussed in a previous post about early opera. Unlike his fragmented version of Ariadne’s myth, L’Orfeo survives in its entirety. In fact, it’s an important landmark in western music history, since it’s one of the earliest complete operas. L’Orfeo isn’t the first opera in history (that honour goes to Dafne, penned by Jacopo Peri in 1597) but it’s arguably the first opera that sounds good and is worth a listen. The very earliest operas consisted of actors talk-singing over minimal instrumentals: fine enough, but pretty boring to sit through for two hours (or over two minutes!).

In Possente Spirto, you can hear elements of those first operas. Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo isn’t much younger than them, written in 1609. There’s some talk-singing here, but it’s interspersed with more melodic elements and sonic variety. The singer playing Orpheus (Ian Bostridge in the recording I’ve shared) gets to show off his skills with some trills and long vocal runs. These ornaments grew into hallmarks of Baroque opera, partially because of Monteverdi’s influence. They also give this version of Orpheus a sense of confidence and bravado that other adaptations of the character can lack. There are lots of willowy, overly sensitive Orpheuses out there, but this one seems aware of his own legendary skills, and he’s got the powerful voice to back himself up.

The instruments also get more to do here than in the earliest operas. Listen for the slightly eerie violin runs that echo the singer’s voice. Maybe they’re the sound of Underworld spirits, moved by Orpheus’ song…

If, like me, you can’t get your fill of Monteverdi, here’s the entire opera. Possente Spirto is track #6 on disc 2.

Normally this is where I share the lyrics to my latest Reception Radio entry. However, the lyrics to Possente Spirto are arranged in an unusual way and I insist on talking about them! What I’ve shared with you is just an opening act of sorts: Orpheus sings a brief invocation to Charon, which gets followed by a longer aria where he pleads for entry into the Underworld and mourns the loss of Eurydice. However, he doesn’t do this all in one go like a lot of later operatic arias. His song is intercut by instrumental sections and some back-and-forth with Charon. Many recordings of this opera, including the version I’ve linked above, split Orpheus’ invocation and dialogue with Charon into several short tracks. Since the opening of Possente Spirto only uses three lines of text, here are Orpheus’ lyrics for this entire portion of the opera. I’ve bolded the opening part that I discussed in this instalment of Reception Radio.

An English translation:

Mighty spirit and fearsome deity,
without whom no soul separated from its body
can presume to gain passage to the other shore,

I am not living: no, for since my dear wife
is deprived of life, my heart no longer remains with me,
and without a heart, how can it be that I am alive?

To her I have made my way through the turbid air,
yet not to Hades, for wherever
such beauty is found has paradise in it.

I am Orpheus, who follow Eurydice's steps
through these murky deserts
where no mortal man has ever trod.

O serene light of my eyes,
if one glance from you can restore me to life,
ah, who would deny me solace in my anguish?

You alone, noble god, can give me aid,
nor need fear, since I arm my fingers only
with sweet strings on a golden lyre,
against which the most obdurate spirit steels itself in vain.

The original Italian:

Possente spirto, e formidabil nume,
Senza cui far passaggio a l'altra riva
Alma da corpo sciolta invan presume,

Non vivo io, no, che poi di vita è priva
Mia cara sposa, il cor non è più meco,
E senza cor com'esser può ch'io viva?

A lei volt'ho il cammin per l'aer cieco,
A l'inferno non già, ch'ovunque stassi
Tanta bellezza il paradiso ha seco.

Orfeo son io, che d'Euridice i passi
Segue per queste tenebrose arene,
Ove già mai per uom mortal non vassi.

O de le luci mie luci serene,
S'un vostro sguardo può tornarmi in vita,
Ahi, chi niega il conforto a le mie pene?

Sol tu, nobile Dio, puoi darmi aita,
Né temer dei, ché sopra un'aurea cetra
Sol di corde soavi armo le dita

Contra cui rigida alma invan s'impetra.