Portland Opera puts on performance of Philip Glass's famous composition
By Jessie Hethcoat
The Portland Opera, continuing its "Love & Marriage" season, opens with the West Coast premiere of "Orphée" tomorrow. This opera is based on Jean Cocteau's 1950 film, a modern retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. The opera, set in contemporary times, fuses postmodern art and ideas with ancient mythological allegory.
Sung in French with English sub-titles, "Orphée" stays closely connected to the film. Cocteau's film takes place in post-war Paris, and the culture of its society is translated from that of Orpheus and Eurydice.
In an interview with journalist Melissa Harris, "Orphée" composer Philip Glass said, "Opera has always been based on the literature of its time, whether it be poetry or plays or novels. Part of the literature of our time is certainly film."
The well-known Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is a tragedy. Eurydice, Orpheus's wife, is taken from him by death. Orpheus travels to the underworld to reclaim her from Hades, but eventually loses her once again because of his inability to submit to the conditions of her release.
Orpheus, the son of a muse, was a great poet and lyrist, but is most well-known for this particular tragedy.
Orpheus and Eurydice have inspired over 66 operas to date. While most of these operas alter the characters' fate, leaving the audience with a happy ending, "Orphée" keeps this myth as it was for the Greeks, a tragedy.
Cocteau's film explores the myth in a contemporary setting, as Glass revamped the opera's backdrop to fit the 1990s. By increasing the cultural relevance, Glass adhered even more closely to Cocteau's vision.
In fact, Glass wrote a trilogy of operas based on Cocteau's films. He said that the creative process fascinated Cocteau. In "Orphée," the relation between mortality and art is closely studied.
For Glass, this connection is personal. Claudie Fisher, who works for the Portland Opera's marketing department, explains why.
"Glass suffered the loss of his wife two years before he completed "Orphée," so his motivations for scoring this story are an enticing psychological study," Fisher said. "This emotional connection is evident in the opera, and the characters involved offer a psychological gold mine."
It is by no means a stereotypical opera. It includes a mirror passage to the underworld, which divides the stage into two sections. Death comes dressed in leather on motorcycles. It's set in modern times, following the story of a young married couple.
The Portland Opera expects a nonconventional audience for "Orphée." Because the opera is so much more experimental and distinctive than most, the Portland Opera anticipates drawing a crowd that may not ordinarily attend
Distant to chaotic, wistful to tragic, descending to ascending, the music of "Orphée" is as beautiful and multifaceted as its story, and promises to be anything but dull.
Opera is an investment. Season tickets run up to $600. For students who utilize the opera's student rush ticket, their entire season's budget will add up to only $50. Take the chance to sample an incredible (and luxurious) art form that it won't break the bank.
