Elegy for Eurydice

SKU: MRT-004-S
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Composer: Michael Rene Torres

Duration: 8:30

Scoring: Alto saxophone

Materials: Score (8.5x11) ​​

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Program Note

Elegy for Eurydice: Six Short Episodes for Alto Saxophone is inspired by the Greek mythological characters Orpheus and his wife Eurydice. In the myth, Eurydice dies from a fatal snake wound. Orpheus, tormented by his loss, travels to Hades and persuades Pluto, god of the underworld, to rescue Eurydice from death. The single condition of her return was that Orpheus did not turn around and look at her as she followed him out of the Underworld. In a brief moment of weakness and doubt, Orpheus glanced back to see his love only to watch her vanish forever. Each movement of Elegy for Eurydice is a glimpse into Orpheus' emotional state while he experiences the five stages of grief as he copes with the second and final loss of his wife. The pitch material of Elegy for Eurydice was generated by using a form of soggetto cavato (the conversion of text or vowels into pitches), so that the rows formed from the title of each movement are used in conjunction with rows created by the names "Orpheus" and "Eurydice," establishing a unique sound for each stage of grief. Multiphonics, a central reoccurring theme between movements, are used to convey moments of great anguish and tension.
​— Michael Rene Torres
Reproduction Notice:
This program note may be freely reproduced in concert programs, provided that proper credit is given to the composer.