Orpheus und Eurydike Orpheus und Eurydike Orpheus und Eurydike ("Orpheus and Eurydice") is an opera by Ernst Krenek. The German text is based on a play by Oskar Kokoschka. Kokoschka began writing his play during his convalescence (from wounds received on the Ukrainian front in 1915) and it premiered in 1921, one year before Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus appeared. In 1923 he let it be known that he was looking for a composer to write incidental music. Kokoschka's expressionist, psychological treatment of the Orpheus myth, marked by his passion for Alma Mahler, appealed to Krenek so he approached Kokoschka. They quickly decided that
Greek mythology in popular culture been traditionally depicted in classical Greek warrior armor. Jean Cocteau regarded Orpheus as "his myth", and used it as the basis for many projects, including "Orphee" The film "Orfeu Negro" is Marcel Camus' reworking of the Cocteau film. The 2001 film "Moulin Rouge!" is also based on the Orpheus story, but set in 1899, and containing modern pop music. The 1997 Disney production of "Hercules" was inspired by Greek myths, but it "greatly modernizes the narrative, ... going to great lengths to spice up its mythic materials with wacky comedy and cheerfully anachronistic dialogue," which, Keith Booker says, is playing