The Minotaur (opera)

Last updated
The Minotaur
Opera by Harrison Birtwistle
Harrison Birtwistle (cropped).jpg
The composer in 2008
Librettist David Harsent
LanguageEnglish
Based on Minotaur
Premiere
15 April 2008 (2008-04-15)
Royal Opera House, London

The Minotaur is an opera in two acts, with 13 scenes by English composer Harrison Birtwistle to a libretto by poet David Harsent, commissioned by the Royal Opera House in London. The work, a retelling of the Greek myth of the Minotaur, premiered at the Royal Opera House on 15 April 2008 under the stage direction of Stephen Langridge. [1] The score is modernistic, and the scenes fall into three types: bullfights; scenes between Ariadne and Theseus; and dream sequences for the Minotaur, in which the creature has the gift of speech. [1] The opera lasts about 140 minutes. A detailed analysis of the opera was published by Rhian Samuel. [2]

Contents

The opera was revived at the Royal Opera House for five performances in early 2013, featuring most of the original cast, most notably Christine Rice, John Tomlinson, Andrew Watts and Johan Reuter. [3]

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 . [4]

RoleVoice typePremiere cast, 15 April 2008
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
The Minotaur (Asterios) bass John Tomlinson
Theseus baritone Johan Reuter
Ariadne mezzo-soprano Christine Rice
Snake Priestess countertenor (en travesti) Andrew Watts
Innocents soprano
soprano
mezzo-soprano
countertenor
countertenor		Rebecca Bottone
Pumeza Matshikiza
Wendy Dawn Thompson
Christopher Ainslie
Tim Mead
Hiereus tenor Philip Langridge
Ker soprano Amanda Echalaz

Premiere production staff

DirectorStephen Langridge
Designer Alison Chitty
Lighting Paul Pyant
ChoreographyPhilippe Giraudeau
Video designLeo Warner, Mark Grimmer

Theme

Theseus and the Minotaur, bronze by Antoine-Louis Barye (1840) Barye - Thesee Minotaure.png
Theseus and the Minotaur, bronze by Antoine-Louis Barye (1840)

From the programme 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. [5]

The last scene of The Minotaur echoes the death scene of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov . [6]

Instrumentation

Synopsis

Scene 1: Arrival

Ariadne watches as a Greek ship arrives on the island of Crete, carrying the Innocents who will be sacrificed to the Minotaur: a monstrous creature, half-man, half-bull. Ariadne greets the Innocents and notices Theseus in the crowd. He has come to Crete to defeat the Minotaur.

Scene 2: The Choice

Theseus tells Ariadne about his departure from Athens with the Innocents. Ariadne believes that Theseus offers her a means of escape from Crete. She plays a game of chance with him using a stone: if he chooses the hand in which she holds the stone he will enter the labyrinth to confront the Minotaur, but if he chooses her empty hand he must remain a bystander to the bloodshed. Ariadne cheats so that Theseus chooses the empty hand.

Scene 3: The Labyrinth

The Innocents enter the labyrinth, praying to the gods to bring them out safely.

Scene 4: Ariadne

Ariadne recounts the circumstances surrounding the birth of her half-brother, the Minotaur: her mother's union with a white bull from the sea, which was either sent by Poseidon, or was the sea god himself in disguise.

Scene 5: The Labyrinth

The Innocents reach the heart of the labyrinth. The Minotaur is taunted by the chorus for his monstrous form and inability to speak. His first victim, a young woman, appears and the Minotaur gores and rapes her. Keres feed upon the body and sing of destruction.

Scene 6: The Minotaur Dreams

The Minotaur acquires the power of speech in his dreams. Asleep, he reflects on his imprisonment in the labyrinth and violent existence. An image of Ariadne appears and tells the story of his birth. She is interrupted by a mysterious and disturbing figure; unknown to the Minotaur, it is Theseus.

Scene 7: The Labyrinth

The chorus urges the Minotaur to wake. They taunt him as he brutally massacres the Innocents. When they have all been killed or mortally injured, the Keres descend again to feast upon the bodies.

Scene 8: A Proposition

Ariadne tries to dissuade Theseus from confronting the Minotaur. He remains determined, revealing that – like the Minotaur – he may be the son of Poseidon. Ariadne tries to seduce Theseus and persuade him to take her to Greece when he returns. He is unmoved.

Scene 9: The Minotaur Dreams

Asleep again, the Minotaur voices his despair at his compromised existence. An image of Ariadne appears and he wonders whether she might help him to escape the labyrinth. Ariadne meanwhile asks the Minotaur "are you my key to the world outside?" Theseus appears again as a shadowy figure.

Scene 10: The Oracle at Psychro

Ariadne asks the Snake Priestess how she might help Theseus escape the labyrinth. In return for her assistance, she hopes she can persuade Theseus to take her to Athens. The Snake Priestess, speaking through the Hiereus, advises Ariadne to give Theseus a ball of twine. If he unwinds it as he descends into the labyrinth, he will be able to retrace his journey to the outside world. The Snake Priestess also confirms that Ariadne will set sail for Athens with Theseus.

Scene 11: A Blind Bargain

Ariadne relays the Snake Priestess's prophecy to Theseus. Theseus sets off to confront the Minotaur.

Scene 12: The Labyrinth

Theseus meets the Minotaur at the centre of the labyrinth and they engage in brutal fighting, cheered on by the chorus. Theseus hesitates momentarily when the Minotaur acquires the power of human speech, but then delivers the fatal blow. Theseus begins his journey out of the labyrinth. Once he has escaped, he intends to set sail for Athens with Ariadne.

Scene 13: Death of the Minotaur

As the Minotaur lies dying, he laments his empty existence, neither fully man nor fully beast. He pulls out the bloodied sword from his side and declares that he is the son of Poseidon. The chorus leave the labyrinth as the Minotaur dies. A Ker enters to feed on his body. [7]

Reception

The Minotaur was ranked third in a 2019 poll by The Guardian of the greatest classical works of the 21st century, with Andrew Clements arguing that the opera has "music of lyrical beauty and pungent transparency." [8]

Recording

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minotaur</span> Creature of Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "part man and part bull". He dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus, on the command of King Minos of Crete. The Minotaur was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minos</span> Mythological king of Crete

In Greek mythology, Minos was a King of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. Every nine years, he made King Aegeus pick seven young boys and seven young girls to be sent to Daedalus's creation, the labyrinth, to be eaten by the Minotaur. After his death, King Minos became a judge of the dead in the underworld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theseus</span> Legendary king of Athens

Theseus was a divine hero and the founder of Athens from Greek mythology. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phaedra (mythology)</span> Cretan princess in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Phaedra was a Cretan princess. Her name derives from the Greek word φαιδρός, which means "bright". According to legend, she was the daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, and the wife of Theseus. Phaedra fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus. After he rejected her advances, she accused him of trying to rape her, causing Theseus to pray to Poseidon to kill him, and then killed herself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariadne</span> Daughter of Minos in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Ariadne was a Cretan princess and the daughter of King Minos of Crete. There are different variations of Ariadne's myth, but she is known for helping Theseus escape the Minotaur and being abandoned by him on the island of Naxos. There, Dionysus saw Ariadne sleeping, fell in love with her, and later married her. Many versions of the myth recount Dionysus throwing Ariadne's jeweled crown into the sky to create a constellation, the Corona Borealis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cretan Bull</span> Creature in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, the Cretan Bull was the bull Pasiphaë fell in love with, giving birth to the Minotaur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrison Birtwistle</span> English composer (1934–2022)

Sir Harrison Birtwistle was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include The Triumph of Time (1972) and the operas The Mask of Orpheus (1986), Gawain (1991), and The Minotaur (2008). The last of these was ranked by music critics at The Guardian in 2019 as the third-best piece of the 21st century. Even his compositions that were not written for the stage often showed a theatrical approach. A performance of his saxophone concerto Panic during the BBC's Last Night of the Proms caused "national notoriety". He received many international awards and honorary degrees.

<i>Phèdre</i> 1677 tragedy by Racine

Phèdre is a French dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Jean Racine, first performed in 1677 at the theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne in Paris.

<i>A Midsummer Nights Dream</i> (opera) Opera by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 64, is an opera with music by Benjamin Britten and set to a libretto adapted by the composer and Peter Pears from William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was premiered on 11 June 1960 at the Aldeburgh Festival, conducted by the composer and with set and costume designs by Carl Toms. Stylistically, the work is typical of Britten, with a highly individual sound-world – not strikingly dissonant or atonal, but replete with subtly atmospheric harmonies and tone painting. The role of Oberon was composed for the countertenor Alfred Deller. Atypically for Britten, the opera did not include a leading role for his partner Pears, who instead was given the comic drag role of Flute/Thisbe.

The King Must Die is a 1958 bildungsroman and historical novel by Mary Renault that traces the early life and adventures of Theseus, a hero in Greek mythology. It is set in locations throughout Ancient Greece: Troizen, Corinth, Eleusis, Athens, Knossos in Crete, and Naxos. Renault wrote a sequel, The Bull from the Sea, in 1962.

David Harsent is an English poet who for some time earned his living as a TV scriptwriter and crime novelist.

<i>Arianna in Creta</i>

Arianna in Creta is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was adapted by Francis Colman from Pietro Pariati's Arianna e Teseo, a text previously set by Nicola Porpora in 1727 and Leonardo Leo in 1729.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Langridge</span> British opera singer

Philip Gordon Langridge was an English tenor, considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio.

<i>LArianna</i> Opera by Claudio Monteverdi

L'Arianna is the lost second opera by Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi. One of the earliest operas in general, it was composed in 1607–1608 and first performed on 28 May 1608, as part of the musical festivities for a royal wedding at the court of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua. All the music is lost apart from the extended recitative known as "Lamento d'Arianna". The libretto, which survives complete, was written in eight scenes by Ottavio Rinuccini, who used Ovid's Heroides and other classical sources to relate the story of Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus on the island of Naxos and her subsequent elevation as bride to the god Bacchus.

<i>Ariane</i> (Martinů)

Ariane is a one-act opera by Bohuslav Martinů to a French libretto by the composer drawn from the second, third and fourth acts of the 1943 play Le Voyage de Thésée by Georges Neveux, who had supplied the text to the composer's earlier opera Julietta.

<i>Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete</i> 1960 film

Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete is a 1960 film based on the Greek legend of Theseus, the Athenian hero who is said to have slain a minotaur on Minoan Crete around 1500 or 1450 BC. The film was directed by Silvio Amadio and starred Bob Mathias.

<i>The Corridor</i> (opera) Opera by Harrison Birtwistle

The Corridor is a chamber opera composed by Harrison Birtwistle to an English language libretto by David Harsent. It premiered at the Aldeburgh Festival on 12 June 2009. The title refers to the corridor through which Orpheus and Eurydice passed as he was leading her from the underworld.

Ariadne (1932) is a short epic or long narrative poem of 3,300 lines, by the British poet F. L. Lucas. It tells the story of Theseus and Ariadne, with details drawn from various sources and original touches based on modern psychology. It was Lucas's longest poem. His other epic reworking of myth was Gilgamesh, King of Erech (1948).

<i>Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus</i> 1774 painting by Angelica Kauffman

Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Swiss artist Angelica Kauffman. It was painted in England in 1774. It is currently displayed in the Museum of Fine Arts, in Houston, as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III. It is an oil painting on canvas. Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus is one of Kauffman's few history paintings depicting a single figure.

References

  1. 1 2 Loomis, George, "The Minotaur: A masterful retelling of a classic Greek myth", The New York Times (21 April 2008)
  2. ↑ Samuel, Rhian, "Birtwistle's The Minotaur: the opera and a diary of its first production", Cambridge Opera Journal, 20-2, (01 May 2009)
  3. ↑ Royal Opera House Covent Garden – The Minotaur 2013 production, Retrieved on 30 December 2012
  4. ↑ Emma Pomfret, Sir John Tomlinson in Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur: opera's raging bull, The Times, April 11, 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  5. ↑ Harsent, David (2008). "Birtwistle: The Minotaur premiere at Covent Garden". Boosey & Hawkes . Retrieved 2008-05-17. (Includes synopsis and premiere cast)
  6. ↑ Andrew Clements, The Minotaur (Review of the Royal Opera House premiere), The Guardian , April 16, 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  7. ↑ Birtwistle, Harrison and Harsent, David (2008). The Minotaur: Libretto. Boosey & Hawkes. ISBN   978-0851625553.
  8. ↑ Clements, Andrew; Maddocks, Fiona; Lewis, John; Molleson, Kate; Service, Tom; Jeal, Erica; Ashley, Tim (2019-09-12). "The best classical music works of the 21st century". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  9. ↑ "Birtwistle: The Minotaur, Presto Classical

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.