November 2 is the birthday of Marie-Antoinette. Christoph Willibald Gluck was Marie-Antoinette's music teacher and her favorite composer, whom she introduced to France after she became queen in 1774. Among his most famous operas is Orpheus and Eurydice, which originally debuted in Vienna in 1762. It is a fitting opera to listen to during the month of the Holy Souls, when so many prayers are offered for the dead, since it is based upon the myth of Orpheus, who tried to release his beloved wife from the underworld. Unlike the myth, the opera of Gluck has a happy ending. One of the loveliest pieces from Orpheus and Eurydice is the "Dance of the Blessed Spirits." It is interesting that the queen so loved this opera; to listen to it is to have a glimpse into her soul.
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