Orfeo is the main character of the opera “Orfeo ed Euridice” composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck in the 18th century. The opera is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, an artist, who could tame beasts, and move stones through the sheer virtue of his singing. When his wife dies, loving her drives him to even endeavor to enter the legendary underworld and demand her back. The gods of the underworld grant his wish under the long-famous condition that he not turn back to look into her eyes as he leads her back to the world of the living.

Currently I am writing an opera on the Orpheus legend myself. In it I am focussing on the motif of not-looking-back. The title of my piece will be Schau nicht zurück, Orfeo! or “Don't Look Back, Orfeo!.” One of the ways in which I treat musically the notion of not-looking-back is by quoting Gluck's music at times and then composing away from it further and further, integrating instruments into the score that were not in use in Europe's orchestras at Gluck's time.

In this context I have written Orfeo on My Mind. Shakuhachi and koto are freely paraphrasing the French overture that Gluck had written for his opera.

(Stefan Hakenberg, 2009)