Among the works on the Orpheus theme since the start of operatic history, La morte d‘Orfeo by Stefano Landi occupies a special place. The conception of Landi‘s opera differs from all other works having as their theme the triumph of music and love over death, in that it does not concern itself with the death of Eurydice but rather with following the story, in particular the horrible death of the divine singer himself.
With its motley scenes and rapid twists in the plot, its rich contrasts of musical form and the splendid vocal beauty of the choruses at the end of the acts, La morte d‘Orfeo is perhaps the first opera to merit the description “baroque”.