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April 22nd: A Lecture and a Video Screening of Harrison Birtwistle's Opera "The Minotaur"

The Lecture program of the Festival continued on Wednesday, April 22nd at the Museum Center. A report on the opera by the English composer of the XX century Harrison Birtwistle "The Minotaur" was held by a musicologist from Moscow, Doctor of Arts, Professor Tatiana Tsaregradskaya.

Birtwistle is not well known in Azerbaijan as well as in Russia. Meanwhile, he is one of the leading figures for the British classical music of the second half of XX – beginning of XXI century, the author of a considerable number of works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, as well as for musical theater (for 8 years Birtwistle has been a music director of the Royal National Theatre in London). Being a little apart from the dominant trends of the European avant-garde, the composer has however been influenced by Stravinsky, Messiaen and Varese. His musical style tends towards free atonality, not to intertextuality (handling with other people's stylistic models, quotes). As his fastening means the so called cantus firmus technique is used: against the background of the basic idea the development of a motivic and thematic variation, rising to Stravinsky, takes place.

Birtwistle is an author of numerous works in different genres of scenes from Greek mythology, the greatest attention of the author being attracted by various fragments of the myth of Orpheus. The opera "The Minotaur" is based on a different plot, but the composer himself presents it as "extension of the idea of ​​Orpheus." The interpretation of the image of the Minotaur, as the embodiment of uncontrollable forces, has been influenced by impressions of creative works by Picasso and English sculptor M. Ayrton. The proposed by the librettist 13 scenes of the opera, which can be divided into three groups (fighting with the Bull, dialogues of Ariadne and Theseus, dreams of the Minotaur) form a coherent harmonic structure. The image of the protagonist is close to the interpretation of the myth in the ballad "The Minotaur" by F. Durrenmatt: it is a creature doomed to endless suffering and loneliness, the consequences of maternal sin and betrayal of his sister being a part of his life.

The composer wrote his opera for the famous bass John Tomlinson, who has performed the most difficult title part. A rich with dynamic contrasts, expressive vocal part, comparable with the operas by Berg, is given to another character as well — to Ariadne, played by Christine Rice. It is to be mentioned, that the melodic writing style by Birtwistle, which can be described as an aria-declamatory one, requires exceptional endurance and skill of the artists.

The audience was offered a video of the opera "The Minotaur" directed by Stephen Langridge (Covent Garden, 2008). In 2013 the opera was revived at the scene of the famous theater.








Prepared by Julia Dmitrioukova, Press Center of the Festival






















Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council            Medeniyyet TV           YOL Magazine           'Muzikalnaya Zhizn' magazine, Moscow