Tantalus

Tantalus takes as its point of departure the writings and music of Portuguese composer Jorge Peixinho (Montijo, 1940 – Lisbon, 1995). The Tantalus myth was the basis for Samuel Beckett’s play Act sans paroles I, for which Peixinho wrote incidental music. Tantalus was ejected from Olympus for stealing ambrosia and nectar from the gods. After his death he was punished for eternity. He was forced to stand in a pool of water, under the branches of a tree; when he tried to grab a fruit, the tree’s branches would bend out of reach, and when he tried to drink a sip from the pool, the waters would recede.