The Minotaur (opera)

"The Minotaur" is an opera in 13 scenes by English composer Harrison Birtwistle to a libretto by poet David Harsent, commissioned by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London. The work premiered at the Royal Opera House on April 15, 2008 and was shown on BBC2 television on June 7, 2008. The running time is 2 hours 50 minutes with one interval.

Roles

Birtwistle wrote the title role for John Tomlinson's voice. Tomlinson also created the role of the Green Knight in Birtwistle's 1990 opera "Gawain". [Emma Pomfret, [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/opera/article3721828.ece Sir John Tomlinson in Harrison Birtwistle’s The Minotaur: opera’s raging bull] , "The Times", April 11, 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2008.]

Theme

From the program notes:

"The Minotaur does not fully comprehend the duality of his physical nature as half-bull, half-man; only in sleep and, ultimately, in death does his human side become evident. Ariadne hopes that, with the help of the Oracle, she will enable Theseus to find a way out of the labyrinth should he survive his encounter with the Minotaur. She believes she can persuade Theseus to take her back with him to Athens. Both see the Minotaur as scapegoat and deliverance." [*cite web
url = http://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/news/further_info.asp?NewsID=11563
title = Birtwistle: The Minotaur premiere at Covent Garden
accessdate = 2008-05-17
last = Harsent
first = David
authorlink = David Harsent
year = 2008
publisher = Boosey & Hawkes (Includes synopsis and premiere cast)]

The last scene of "The Minotaur" echoes the final scene of Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov". [Andrew Clements, [http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/operalivereviews/story/0,,2273880,00.html 'The Minotaur'] (Review of the Royal Opera House premiere), "The Guardian", April 16, 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2008.]

Instrumentation

* woodwind: 3 flutes (2nd and 3rd doubling piccolo); 3 oboes (III also English horn); 4 clarinets (I=B flat, A; II=B flat, A E flat, bcl; III=B flat, A bass clarinet; IV=bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet); alto saxophone; 3 bassoons (III also double bassoon)
* Brass: 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombone (IV also contrabass trombone); tuba
* percussion: timpani (2 sets on stage), 4 percussionists: xylophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone, crotales, güiro, 3 higher tom-toms, 3 lower tom-toms, small bass drum, very large bass drum, 2 log drums, triangles, 4 wood blocks, 4 temple blocks, 2 bongos, 2 congas, 4 suspended cymbals, 3 tam-tams, 2 large nipple gongs
* Other: 2 harps, cimbalom, strings: 14/12/10/8/7

Recording

*Birtwistle: "The Minotaur" - DVD recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on April 25, April 30, and May 3, 2008. Opus Arte OA1000D.

References

*cite web
url = http://esales.roh.org.uk/tickets/production.aspx?pid=4026
title = The Minotaur
accessdate = 2008-05-17
year = 2008
publisher = Royal Opera House
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/operaon3/pip/au6ab/ BBC "Opera on 3" article with more detailed plot synopsis. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.]
*George Loomis, [http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/21/arts/loomis.php 'The Minotaur': A masterful retelling of a classic Greek myth] , "International Herald Tribune" April 22, 2008
*Anna Picard, [http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-minotaur-royal-opera-house-londonbr-a-night-at-the-chinese-opera-theatre-royal-glasgow-812009.html Review: The Minotaur, Royal Opera House, London] , "The Independent", 20 April 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
*Paul Driver, [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/opera/article3758135.ece Review: The Minotaur at the Royal Opera House] , "The Sunday Times", April 20, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
*Anthony Holden, [http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/operalivereviews/story/0,,2274963,00.html On the horns of a dilemma] "The Observer", April 20, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
*Rupert Christiansen, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/04/17/btopera117.xml The Minotaur: Enthralling, hypnotising - and unloveable] , "The Telegraph", April 17, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
*Ivan Hewett, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/04/10/btminotaur110.xml The Minotaur: father and son venture into the labyrinth] , The Telegraph, April 10, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.