Of the origin of his Orpheus Liszt writes: "Some years ago, when
preparing Gluck's Orpheus for production, I could not restrain my
imagination from straying away from the simple version that the great
master had made of the subject, but turned to that Orpheus whose name
hovers majestically and full of harmony about the Greek myths. It
recalled that Etruscan vase in the Louvre which represents the
poet-musician crowned with the mystic kingly wreath; draped in a
star-studded mantle, his fine slender fingers are plucking the lyre
strings, while his lips are liberating godly words and song. The very
stones seem moved to hearing, and from adamant hearts stinging, burning
tears are loosing themselves. The beasts of the forests stand enchanted,
and the coarse noise of man is besieged into silence. The song of birds
is hushed; the melodious coursing of the brook halts; the rude laughter
of joy gives way to a trembling awe before these sounds, which reveal to
man universal harmonies, the gentle power of art and the brilliancy of
their glory."
The "dull and prosaic formula"--so some English critic put it--differs
in this work from that of most of the others of Liszt's symphonic
poems. The short cutting themes are absent and sharp contrasts are
generally avoided; the music flows rather in a broad melodic stream,
serene but magnificent. It is rather difficult to fit a detailed
programme to the composition, and the general outline is not so sharply
dented with incidents as some of the others.
Again atmosphere is evoked and the mood achieved by the lyre preluding
of the poet. Then the voice of Orpheus rises with majestic calm, and
swells to a climax which is typical of the majestic splendour of art.
This sweeps all sounds of opposition before it and leaves in its trail
awe-stricken man. It is with this mood that the work closes in a
marvellous progression of chords, harmonies daring for their day.