Royal Opera 'The Minotaur' (Birtwistle)

[tamaranth]

Right now on Radio 3, Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur. Featuring rape, massacre, harpies and a ball of string, as well as the eponymous beastie (John Tomlinson).

Long long ago, I saw another Birtwistle opera (The Second Mrs Kong, featuring King Kong, Anubis and Vermeer's Girl in a Pearl Earring) at Glyndebourne. And that didn't have any tunes in it either. From the look of the photo gallery (linked from the above page), the Royal Opera House production is as visually impressive as that was: but I cannot get the hang of Birtwistle's music at all.

My icon is of Ariadne, who is probably saying "You want me to sing what?"

Comments

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Featuring rape, massacre, harpies and a ball of string

I'm sure I was at that party....

BTW: I have no idea about the music, but the Minotaur costume is fab.

...Ahh but we were so old then...we're much younger now.

[(Anonymous)]

Long long ago, how very true! As for the tunes, you're quite right, luckily plenty of white wine in the interval helped the second half fly by. I do remember Kong and Pearl dueting over the internet, which must surely have been an operatic first. Did you and I ever go to Glyndebourne together again? all the best, C.