The Sad tale of Orpheus. From Opera to Hades. How the Lament of Orpheus Stands the Test of Time.

Not only is Hades an incredible game but the music speaks to us deeply in our souls. It's amazing to me that the Lament of Orpheus has been written time and time again for thousands of years. Wether it's Gluck and Orphée or Berlioz, Offenbach, or @supergiantgames. The tragic story of Orpheus and Euridice lives on. Why does it speak to us as much as it does? Why have we never been able to shake this tragic tale?

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:20 Orpheus has a hard time
01:00 Operatic history
01:03 Che faro senza Euridice - Gluck
01:34 Orpheus in the Underworld - Offenbach
01:50 Why has this story survived the test of time?
02:17 Music pt1
02:38 The Power of Humming
03:05 Music pt2
04:06 Pitching Down/up
04:40 No Full Voice Here
05:04 Music pt3
06:54 Hushed Tones
7:10 Falsetto
07:45 Haunting Evolution

Credits:
Singer: Darren Korb
Developer: Supergiant Games
Composer: Darren Korb
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, MORE
Awards: BAFTA Games Award for Best Game, MORE
Publishers: Supergiant Games, Private Division, Take-Two Interactive

[johnpetrila]

The craziest thing about this piece is that the singer is also the composer of the score for the game (Darren Korb), who *also* voiced Zagreus AND Skelly. Zagreus has an absurd number of lines in Hades, for those who don't know. In the thousands. Darren Korb is ridiculously talented. You can never go wrong with any pieces from Supergiant Games' games. Bastion, Transistor, Pyre and Hades all have excellent scores. Thanks as always for the insightful analysis and interweaving of opera/musical history into your discussion of the piece.

[Tulip_bip]

they were so clever with how they introduced this song in game. when you finally get him back into the house of hades, he refuses to sing out of grief for a very long time. after a while you just kinda accept that the court jester isnt gonna sing ever again. but then when you build up your friendship with him, one day you die again and come back to the house of hades, only to hear his singing down the hall. it's such a mesmerising moment, and i loved it so much

[yeetboi]

I didn’t know that song was called Orpheus in the underworld! I knew it was from Offenbach but didn’t know that name

[TheViralInfekT]

I love this soundtrack. It is a masterpiece and fits well into a beautiful peace of video game art.

[theformation]

Finally Hades OST analyses! Hades 2 also has some really good songs sung by the mythological sirens though they might be a tad surprising (and Hades 1 also has a lot more interesting songs like god of the dead and unseen ones) so its a joy to see Hades on here

[kingjamos]

I bought this game a few weeks ago, but I've yet to play it. After hearing that song, not playing seems criminal. A powerful piece of music right there.

[gastar]

You should take a listen to all of the songs from orpheus and euridice from this game. They all follow this type of style but they all have somthing different. If i had to reccomend two it would be "good riddance" by euridice, there are two verions of this song one sang by euridice and one by orphues and both despite having the same lyrics give off a completely different message. and "hymn to zagreus" by orpheus, which the reason in the game for why orpheus made the song is pretty funny but ended up leading to probably my favourite non battle theme in the game.

[MizuNoDoukeshi]

hearing this after encouraging orpheus to sing for so long feels like such a reward X)

[coffeefrog]

Do you have any thoughts about Hadestown?

[KenjTheSnek]

Now you can see here how Orpheus managed to bring a tear to Hades’s eye and convince the stoic king of the underworld to give him even the smallest chance to bring back his lover.

[PaprMoon]

That buffed up as hell Pikachu in the background was not something I'd expect to see today. Yet, here we are.

[TheRedHaze]

Given the name of the song (the Lament of Orpheus) and when this song is sung (after Orpheus has already failed to rescue Eurydice), I would say the "don't look back" is actually him voicing his regret. It's as if he's thinking back to when he was trying to leave Hades with Eurydice, and telling his younger self "don't look back".

[niffleraku]

I would love to see your reaction to each of the Good Riddance versions, 1st the Eurydice solo (Ashley Barrett), the 2nd the Orpheus solo, and the 3rd the duet by them both. It's the same song but the way they're sung individually gives off a different feeling that I think you'll appreciate!
1:38 Also I didn't know that that was titled "Orpheus in the Underworld" and I just kept laughing at the irony because it's mostly associated with funny bgms but it's actually about a tragic Greek character ASDKHJ

[Skuthulu-archives]

That falsetto is SO hard for Darren to do, that Live, He was really struggling.

[shinigamimiroku]

I grew up on Greek mythology (as well as those of several other civilizations) so Orpheus was quite familiar to me. It's quite interesting to see his tale carried throughout history through his own craft in such varied ways.

[shahs]

Oohh yes Hades! Would love to hear your thoughts on In The Blood as well! Always love when Ashley Barrett and Darren Korb duet for Supergiant games' soundtracks. What a wonderful pair!

[jjstarrprod]

I love how you tried to break it down piece by piece at first, and then when we get to the middle, you just gave up and let yourself being washed away by the beauty of it all up until the very end of the song.
Knowing that this reaction is coming from an actual opera singer makes it all the more appreciated !
Great video, man !

[takeyourheart]

The way he sings “drowning, don’t look back” just ends me every time.

[JustANyanCat]

Lyrics:

Hear, oh gods, my desperate plea
To see my love beside me

Sunk below the mortal sea
Her anchor weighs upon me
Fasten her tether unto me
That she may rise to sail free
Don't, don't look back

Close enough that light we can see
My doubt betrays the better of me
Glance to the stern is all it would be
That anguished shade shall haunt me
Ever on

Calm seas
Winds alee
But now the squall's upon us
We're foundering
Drowning

Don't look back
Don't look back
Don't look back
Don't look back
Don't look back

[hyacynth]

[Warning: very long comment ahead lol]
Ohhhh this video made me very, very happy. I love Supergiant Games, and especially their music, and seeing you "react to" but more importantly analyze and respond to this song was just very, very lovely. This song also has a special place in my heart since the last song I really actively worked on with my voice teacher before the pandemic hit was Monteverdi's "Tu se morta, " another musical Orpheus interpretation, and I haven't really had a chance to sing much since...
(OH, also! You commented on how the melody is generally leading us upwards over the course of the song, while Orpheus himself is recounting a story about the underworld's depths, but what came to mind for me is that... well, in the story, Orpheus WAS climbing upwards, just like the song. And, just like the song, the most desperate, mournful, heart wrenching part of his journey came at the peak, when he did look back. The song's gradual climb to its high, plaintive climax feels very fitting to me, and I would never have had that observation if I hadn't watched this video <3)

Finally, a couple recommendations if you're interested in listening to any more music by this composer/from this game studio:
- "Remember the Bastion" from the album The Songs of Supergiant Games is a lovely encapsulation of a LOT of music from their first game, Bastion. That whole album is basically more fully orchestrated performances of some of their better known songs, but that one in particular is just... breathtaking, in my opinion, and features both of the songs with vocals from that game
- I highly, HIGHLY recommend basically the entirety of the game "Transistor, " to the point that I'd even tentatively recommend you try playing it rather than just listening. In that game, you play as Red, a singer whose voice has been stolen, and a LOT of the score features her voice — even during instrumental songs, the melody will drop out and be replaced by her humming during various moments in the game. The game isn't strictly "about" music, but it's at the very least one of the core themes, as is "voice, " and I think you might really enjoy it. If you want to just listen to a few songs out of context, I'd recommend most any of the vocal tracks — "In Circles, " "Paper Boats, " and "The Spine" are all personal favorites of mine. If you're interested in non-vocal tracks, "Impossible" is the final boss's theme, and I find it FASCINATING as a choice for a final boss.

I hope this extraordinarily long and rambling comment was nice to read rather than a chore, and thank you again for this lovely video!