Advertisement

A New Take On Orpheus From Peabody Essex Museum's Composer-In-Residence

11:45
Download Audio
Resume
Jacob Hoefnagel's 1613 painting, "Orpheus and the Animals," shows a serene Greek god seducing wild animals with his music. (AP)
Jacob Hoefnagel's 1613 painting, "Orpheus and the Animals," shows a serene Greek god seducing wild animals with his music. (AP)

When you think of classical music, what might immediately come to mind are cavernous, ornate concert halls with musicians in black and white playing string instruments for a graying audience.

But the Peabody Essex Museum's composer-in-residence, Matt Aucoin, wants to change that image. He's designing intimate, creative performances in unusual spaces that he hopes will attract wider audiences.

An example of that is a piece he composed that he'll be conducting at the museum Friday night. It's called "The Orphic Moment" and it's a new take on the ancient myth of Orpheus, as he explains to WBUR's Sacha Pfeiffer.

Guest

Matt Aucoin, the Peabody Essex Museum's composer-in-residence

More

Peabody Essex Museum: The Lure Of Orpheus

  • "The story of Orpheus, searching in the underworld for his beloved Eurydice, is music’s founding myth. It’s every musician’s justification and self-glorification and favorite bedtime story, and it’s also a cautionary tale."

This segment aired on June 5, 2014.

Headshot of Sacha Pfeiffer

Sacha Pfeiffer Host, All Things Considered
Sacha Pfeiffer was formerly the host of WBUR's All Things Considered.

More…

Advertisement

More from Radio Boston

Listen Live
Close