The Mask of Orpheus

The Mask of Orpheus
Opera by Harrison Birtwistle
The composer in 2008
LibrettistPeter Zinovieff
LanguageEnglish
Based onOrpheus myth
Premiere
21 May 1986 (1986-05-21)

The Mask of Orpheus is an opera with music by Harrison Birtwistle, electronic music realised by Barry Anderson and a libretto by Peter Zinovieff. It was premiered in London at the English National Opera on 21 May 1986 to great critical acclaim.[1] A recorded version conducted by Andrew Davis and Martyn Brabbins has also received good reviews.[2][3] A new production of the opera was staged at the English National Opera in 2019, conducted by Martyn Brabbins and James Henshaw.[4] The work is around three hours long.

  1. ^ Simon Thomas (August 2009). "Reviews – The Mask of Orpheus". What's On Stage. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  2. ^ "Birtwistle". BBC Music Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  3. ^ "Review – Orpheus revealed". Gramophone. December 1997. Retrieved 16 August 2010.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Andrew Clements (20 October 2019). "The Mask of Orpheus review – travesty of a production is nothing to laugh about". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2023.