Orphean

A survey of Orphean operas shows a curious drop in the 19th century, followed by a resurgence of interest following World War I. It can be no accident that composers including Darius Milhaud, Philip Glass, Hans Werner Henze and Harrison Birtwistle turned to it.

There are no overt Orphean references in Du Yun’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Angel’s Bone,” a harrowing parable about sex trafficking.

The question of who is wooed by the power of music continued to linger in my mind after my weekend of Orphean operas.

But these friendly interactions only seem so sweet because they mark the coda to an Orphean journey.

Orphean, or′fē-an, adj. pertaining to Orpheus, a poet who could move inanimate objects by the music of his lyre.—adj.