Birtwistle’s brilliance

The Minotaur
Royal Opera

For the first time in the 12 years that I have been reviewing opera weekly, I have been to the first performance of a masterpiece. The Minotaur, so far as I can tell from one intense experience, has all of Harrison Birtwistle’s strengths and none of his weaknesses. He likes to take on big themes, and that leads him to mythology, whether domestic, as in the brilliant early Punch and Judy, or cosmic, as in The Mask of Orpheus and Gawain. Though both those operas have great passages, the former is sunk by prolix pretentiousness, the latter is damaged by diffuseness, even in its revised version. By contrast, The Minotaur is compact, lasting for about two and a quarter hours, and without a superfluous moment, gesture or note. And no composer can ever have had such complex thoughts realised so completely in the unveiling of his work. Every aspect of the production and performance shows the utmost confidence and careful preparation, so careful that this superb set of artists can throw caution to the wind.