The Mask of Orpheus

E590936

The Mask of Orpheus is a landmark 20th-century opera by Harrison Birtwistle, renowned for its complex structure, mythic subject matter, and innovative musical language.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
The Mask of Orpheus canonical 3

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf 20th-century opera
opera
basedOn Greek mythology
commissionedBy English National Opera
composer Harrison Birtwistle
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
dramaturgy non-linear retelling of the Orpheus myth
duration approximately three hours
genre contemporary classical music
hasAct Act I
Act II
Act III
hasCharacter Aristaeus
Eurydice
Hades
Orpheus
hasRecording commercial audio recording
hasVersion concert excerpts
language English
librettist Peter Zinovieff
movement British modernism
narrativeForm multiple simultaneous narrative layers
notableFor complex structure
innovative musical language
mythic subject matter
orchestration large orchestra with electronics
period late 20th century
premiereDate 1986
premierePlace London
linked to: London, England
premiereVenue English National Opera
publisher Boosey & Hawkes
reputation landmark work of late 20th-century opera
one of Harrison Birtwistle's major stage works
setting mythic ancient Greece
structure multi-layered time
non-linear
style high modernist
subject Orpheus myth
theme identity
memory
myth and reality
time
usesTechnique complex rhythmic structures
electronic elements
extended vocal techniques
large orchestra

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Harrison Birtwistle notableWork The Mask of Orpheus
Punch and Judy relatedWorkOfComposer The Mask of Orpheus
Tragoedia relatedWorkByComposer The Mask of Orpheus