Wednesday of last week saw one of the most important days in the entire history of Portland Opera. It was the day that Orange Mountain Records, Philip Glass' in-house record label, released their recording of Glass' opera Orphée. Performances of this work formed a part of Portland Opera's 09/10 season. There are a number of factors make this a particularly event. First, it should be noted that this is the very first recording of this opera and came about at the instigation of Orange Mountain Records. Executives of that label approached Portland Opera prior to the production and asked whether we would be interested in having the performances recorded with a view to later release. So, this wasn't a case of Portland Opera begging for the opportunity to record a Philip Glass opera and making its own approach to the label. Apparently, Glass was so impressed with the cast assembled for this production (including Philip Cutlip, Ryan MacPherson and Lisa Saffer), the conductor, Ann Manson, and director Sam Helfrich, that he considered this the ideal chance to complete the recordings of his Cocteau trilogy (the others being La Belle et La Bete and Les Enfants Terrible.) When show time came, Glass came to town and was present at the final dress rehearsal before zooming off the following day to Europe. The performances themselves were a great success and perhaps the most oft-heard phrase was "I didn't think I liked Glass but..." I have to admit to having used that phrase myself. While I knew very little of Glass's music, it had not captivated me on previous occasions. This opera held me spell-bound and I saw all four performances.

Another notable feature of this recording is that it is the very first CD made of a complete opera by Portland Opera. Given the quality of the result, I think we may be confident that others will follow. I have not yet had an opportunity to hear the album but those who have report to me that it is 'ravishing' in it's sound and artistic quality. I look forward to hearing it myself over the next week and I will then let you know what I think.

Naturally, an event of this importance should not pass without a party and on Wednesday evening, around 200 people gathered at the Crystal Ballroom to celebrate. And what a party it was! I shall not regale you with the details of my own consumption but let the record show that food and booze were in munificent supply and it really was a very good bash. As I entered the ballroom, I noticed that at the far end of the room, behind the stage, a large video screen had been set up and was displaying a slide show of pictures of the production, the cast, and various persons connected to the production. I had hardly stepped foot in the place when what should appear but your very own Operaman having his paw shaken by the illustrious Mr Glass himself! Later in the evening, Jim Fullan, Director of Marketing and PR for Portland Opera took a picture of me in front of this very slide. And here it is!


In the course of the festivities, General Director Christopher Mattaliano spoke to the assembled throng and expressed the pride that he felt in this accomplishment and thanked all those present who had made it not only a reality but a splendid artistic success. I believe that at that moment we all felt very proud to be associated with this historic venture and we quaffed and applauded in equal measure. Chris had other good news to impart to us. Portland Opera's financial year had come to a close at 5pm that very day and, yet again, the organisation had managed to end the year 'in the black'. This had only been accomplished through a combination of personal sacrifice by the staff of Portland Opera combined with an impressive display of fiscal responsibility by those responsible for budgets, expenditure and the like, and while this has been a tough year for the organisation it is a stunning testament to financial restraint and management. This is now the 12th year in the last thirteen that the Opera has been in the black, which for any non-profit, performing-arts organisation is virtually unique. I doffs m'cap to you all!

So, go buy yourselves a copy of Orphée, stick it on the Bose and have a happy and productive week!