Orfeo by Ross Thompson

Ross Harvey Thompson
Original Chamber Works 1998

I have always known that songs lay at the center of my musical experience, even while I was focused on purely instrumental work. After composing for solo guitar, I wanted to explore chamber music and voice. For this, I needed a theme, and I chose the oldest of all myths about musicians: the story of Orpheus, who tried to bring his beloved Eurydice back from death with his music.

I titled the work Orfeo, an ancient spelling of the name that I’ve always liked for its symmetry, beginning and ending with the letter O. The cycle carries themes of the sea, storms, love, death, and visions of collapsing bridges, symbols of pathways back from the underworld.

The writing came more easily this time. The narrative gave me a framework. I drew on my love of poetry, constructing lyrics as the melodies emerged, often testing the words by singing them as simple folk songs. Once the foundations were on paper, I began arranging the string and guitar parts, giving each voice independence within the harmony. It was a process of trial and error, using my ears, my instincts, and scratch tracks to shape the sound.

This work was truly a collaboration. It would never have happened without the generous support of my college friends, who sat in on sessions and read through scores with me. Their presence was invaluable.

I was fortunate to gather remarkable musicians and a singer whose clear tone fit the songs beautifully. Living in San Francisco, I had access to some of the Bay Area’s finest players. The sessions took place in my flat, spread across two freezing days, with breaks timed around the rumble of the street trolley, which was strictly excluded from the final recordings.

Copies of the music score for Orfeo are included with this recording.

English-born guitarist and composer Ross Thompson has performed worldwide, from Berlin to Seoul, Montevideo to Lima. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he teaches at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His work spans 15 books, 14 recordings.