| Greek | |
|---|---|
| Opera byMark-Anthony Turnage | |
| Librettist |
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| Based on | Greek bySteven Berkoff |
| Premiere | |
Greek is anopera in two acts composed byMark-Anthony Turnage to alibretto adapted by Turnage and Jonathan Moore fromSteven Berkoff's 1980 verse playGreek. The play and the opera are a re-telling ofSophocles's Greek tragedyOedipus Rex with the setting changed to theEast End of London in the 1980s. The opera was first performed on 17 June 1988 in the Carl-Orff-Saal of theGasteig, Munich, in a co-production by theMunich Biennale, theEdinburgh International Festival and theBBC.
Turnage composedGreek between 1986 and 1988 as a commission from the City of Munich for one of five new operas to premiere at the first Munich Biennale. The commission was suggested by the Biennale's founder, German composerHans Werner Henze, who had taught Turnage at theTanglewood Music Center and admired his work. Turnage adapted Berkoff's play for the libretto with the help of Jonathan Moore who would be the stage director of the premiere production. The adaptation involved shortening the play, re-ordering some of its text, and the addition of a police riot scene not in Berkoff's original.[1]
Sian Edwards conducted the world premiere ofGreek on 17 June 1988 in the Carl-Orff-Saal of theMunich Gasteig. The production was directed by Jonathan Moore with sets and costumes by David Blight, and lighting by Kevin Sleep.[2]Greek ran for two more performances at the Biennale on 18 and 19 June, and received its UK premiere the following month at theEdinburgh Festival. This production was revived two years later for performances atEnglish National Opera.[3] In 1990 the BBC filmed a television version ofGreek at the Liverpool Warehouse with the original world premiere cast and the Almeida Ensemble. The production, directed by Peter Maniura and Jonathan Moore and conducted byRichard Bernas, won theRoyal Philharmonic Society Award for Best Broadcast (Radio or Television).
The first fully staged production ofGreek in Australia took place at theChamber Made Theatre in Melbourne on 13 June 1991. That same year it premiered in Italy at theMontepulciano Festival on 1 August. Further national premieres followed in the second half of the 1990s: Netherlands (Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam, 3 January 1996); Austria (Odeon, Vienna, 20 October 1996); and the United States (Aspen Music Festival, 23 July 1998.[4][5] Among its 21st century performances in the UK were two tours byMusic Theatre Wales in autumn 2011 (which included theBuxton Festival) and autumn 2013. In 2017 Edinburgh International Festival andScottish Opera created a new production, performing in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as the opera's New York premiere atBrooklyn Academy of Music. The first staged performance to be seen in Chicago was produced by the Chicago Opera Vanguard company in May 2009.[6]
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The opera was written for a cast of four singers, sharing eleven roles:
| Role | Voice type | Premier cast, 17 June 1988 (Conductor:Sian Edwards) |
|---|---|---|
| Eddy | highbaritone | Quentin Hayes |
| Wife, Doreen, Sphinx II, Waitress I | mezzo-soprano | Fiona Kimm |
| Dad, Cafe Manager, Police Chief | baritone | Richard Suart |
| Mum, Sphinx I, Waitress II | soprano | Helen Charnock |
The original productions of the play of the same name by Steven Berkoff on which the opera is based followed a similar division of roles:
In addition to the singers the opera also has roles for four actors with speaking parts.
The instrumental ensemble consists of:
As well as their own instruments all of the players are required to play a varied and exotic selection of percussion instruments, such asbodhrán,tom-tom,ratchet, policewhistle and large metal dustbin lid.
A recording featuring the original cast conducted by Richard Bernas was released on theArgo Records label in 1994. It was re-released byDecca in 2002.
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| Orchestral music |
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| Concertante |
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