Those fortunate enough to have seen one of the six performances of Ottorino Respighi’s 1922 puppet opera “La bella dormente nel bosco” at the Lincoln Center Festival will likely be riding the high for a long time.

“I’ll never forget what I saw – it was that special,” the director of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Jacqueline Davis, said. The music was sweet, the chiseled faces of the marionettes tender, and the singers resplendent as they told a tale of familial and romantic love. “What I hadn’t counted on was that people found it very, very emotional,” the conductor of the opera, Neal Goren, said. “There were a lot of grown men who said that they cried. I think it was easier for people to project onto the puppets.”

The artists also enjoyed the experience.

“Without exception, every one of the performers said this was one of their favorite projects of all time,” Mr. Goren said.

The only bittersweet detail is that there aren’t any more performances planned. Mr. Goren and puppet master Basil Twist’s production is costly to mount due to the number of participants – a dozen puppeteers, seven soloists, a chorus of 20, and 32 musicians – and the size of the theater in which it plays well, which limits ticket revenue.

It would be wonderful if a few arts patrons could be found to support another run of the work in New York, especially if it could be geared toward young audiences and tickets could be more affordable (at Lincoln Center the tickets were $60; at the Spoleto Festival USA, where it had its first run, they were $75).

Running it again at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater would make sense, as the set has already been fitted for the space. Another possibility is the theater at La Guardia High School.

“I would be just be beside myself if it could be repeated,” Mr. Goren said. “This was such a happy harmonious experience from beginning to end. I’m just gratified.”

Mr. Goren is casting for his next project, Benjamin Britten’s “Albert Herring,” to be staged by his company, Gotham Chamber Opera, in February. It’s the first professional production of the piece in 30 years.

“I think it’s his masterpiece. It’s a comedy,” Mr. Goren said.

***

Those who came out to the Borders at Columbus Circle to be on hand for the first sales of the new Harry Potter book found a calm and orderly celebration. Green lights on the ceiling led patrons to a play area for face-painting and crafts. At about 11:30 p.m. Friday, an announcement on the loudspeaker summoned ticket holders nos. 1-50. The line procedure recalled that used to board a plane. A Fordham student, Molly McCaskill, 21, arrived at 7:30 a.m. Friday to pick up her ticket. She was no. 2 in line.

Eight-year-old Eliane Mitchell and her mother, Karen Mitchell, came to the store at 9 p.m., and picked up ticket no. 114.

Eliane, who wore her owl shirt for the occasion, noted another important date coming up: Harry Potter’s birthday, on July 31.

Up the street, the scene was more chaotic. Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Square passed out yellow bracelets to those who had preordered. By 11:30 p.m., hundreds of people were in line outside the store, which was already full to capacity.

Three workers at Tower Records, located across the street, saw an opportunity. They stood on the traffic divider on Broadway with a handmade sign encouraging people to abandon the Barnes & Noble line.

“There’s no better place to spend your dollars than at Tower Records buying Harry Potter,” the most talkative hawker, Brian Hunter, called out.

The line at Tower Records was indeed shorter. But Barnes & Noble won out for the best Harry Potter souvenir, modeled by opera singer Stacylyn Bennett and actuary Katrina Tanner: round black eyeglasses, just like Harry wears.

***

Behind most punk rockers, pop princesses, and iced-out rap stars are a bunch of staid executives in pin-striped suits. That truth was demonstrated last week when the chief executive and chairman of the Warner Music Group, Edgar Bronfman Jr., received the Music Visionary of the Year Award from the UJA-Federation of New York’s Entertainment, Media & Communications Division and the Music for Youth Foundation.

The rapper-turned-fashion designer Sean Combs served as emcee, introducing the one guest in casual attire: the British singer and songwriter James Blunt, whose debut album, “Back to Bedlam,” is at the top of the charts in England. It is coming to America October 4. He performed “No Bravery” and “You’re Beautiful” at the event. Prior to his music career, he guarded the queen at Buckingham Palace and served in Kosovo.

Mr. Bronfman, who happens to be a songwriter himself, was pleased to help raise money for the Music for Youth Foundation, which helps bring music to underprivileged youth.

“There is no other language that is as powerful as music. Its limitless creativity makes it important to so many lives. Working together with UJA, the Music for Youth Foundation knows that music appreciation and education goes hand in hand with a vibrant society and a diverse world culture,” Mr. Bronfman said.

When a titan such as Mr. Bronfman receives an award, his friends and colleagues honor him by purchasing tickets and buying pages in the journal.

In the journal for this event, some wrote traditional messages of congratulations. Others chose edgier prose consistent with their company’s image.

MTV Networks was “proud to rock out to the good will and achievements of Music Visionary Edgar Bronfman, Jr. and the UJAFederation.”

AOL Music’s page had this headline: “Mr. Bronfman: You hip-hop. You Pop. You Rock.”

The chief executive of the Atlantic Records Group, Jason Flom, wrote a poem on his page: “Roses are reddish, violets are blueish, our stock’s in the toilet but at least we’re both Jewish.”