TITLE: Orfeo

AUTHOR: Richard Powers

YEAR: 2014

IS THIS SF?
I believe so, though it’s close.  Based a bit on the story of Steve Kurtz, the SF in this book centers around tinkering with biological agents in home lab.  This is not so SF in itself, but in this story the protagonist, composer-teacher Peter Els, aims to tinker with bacterial DNA to a degree where he can code his music into it.  So the world of the book is the world of 2014, but with the science a bit speculative-ish…

PJE SYNOPSIS
See above, but then the FBI fears he might be a terrorist, so a chase ensues with many flashbacks along the way (Richard Powers style….)

REALLY A MUSICIAN?
YES, talks aptly and deeply about music and musicians.  Know full well the trials and tribulations of working creatively in music, finding performers, making recordings, etc.T ells a great story about Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, witnessed a Cage happening.

WHY A MUSICIAN?
Why a composer (hahaha)?  Someone who is a good tinkerer, used to be being alone with their thoughts.  Someone who is good at ‘theory’, though most composers, like this one, mostly fake it 😉  Also, good to have a protagonist who is intellectually well-rounded and curious, and has been for the past 50 years or so.

RECOMMENDED?
YES—moves along quickly with all kinds of drama and flashbacks, I enjoyed it.  Perhaps for non-musicians there’s a bit of lull here and there.  The drama with the daughter helps tie things together, but only as a touchstone and move-along for the plot.

© 2020 Peter J. Evans, theorist