Orpheus in the Underworld malsaine" (an unhealthy odor). In the opinion of Piat, however, Offenbach's "Orphée" is, like most of his major operettas, a "bijou" (jewel) that only snobs will fail to appreciate. The piece was not immediately a hit, but critics' condemnation of it, particularly that of Jules Janin, who called it a "profanation of holy and glorious antiquity," only provided vital publicity, serving to heighten the public's curiosity to see the piece. "Scene 1: Near Thebes" A melodrama (Introduction and Melodrame) opens the work. Public Opinion explains who she is – the guardian of morality ("Qui suis-je? du Théâtre Antique"). She seeks
Orpheus (ballet) missing entirely. Also strikingly different from "The Rite of Spring" is the absence of a percussion section and the use of only one timpanist. There is an important role for the harp in "Orpheus". This has a long tradition in classical music, in which the character of Orpheus is associated with that instrument, by analogy with the Ancient Greek lyre. Two important examples of this may be mentioned: Gluck’s opera "Orfeo ed Euridice" and Liszt’s symphonic poem "Orpheus. Stravinsky's Neoclassicism occasionally extends to parody; one of the most extended examples in his work is to be found in the Air