Press Releases

BBC Two to broadcast world premiere of Sir Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur

Category: Factual & Arts TV; BBC Two; Radio 3 Date: 20.05.2008

BBC Two is to broadcast the world premiere of Sir Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur from the Royal Opera House, London, offering opera lovers across the UK the chance to see this critically-acclaimed opera.

It is the second opera commissioned from Sir Harrison Birtwistle by the Royal Opera and was recorded at Covent Garden in April for the Royal Opera House.

Roly Keating, Controller, BBC Two, said: "Any new work from Harrison Birtwistle is a bit of an event but the acclaim that greeted The Minotaur instantly marked it out as something special. It's fantastic to be able to bring it to a television audience so soon after its world premiere."

The Minotaur will be broadcast on Saturday 7 June 2008; the first act starts at 7.35pm and finishes at 9.00pm and the second runs from 9.40pm until 10.35pm.

Opera lovers will have the change to hear the opera first on BBC Radio 3 on Saturday 31 May from 6.30 to 9.15pm.

The Minotaur is a famous character of Greek myth who is part man, part beast. Hidden away, deep in the labyrinth in Crete, he feeds on young men and women sent as a tribute from Athens.

One day the hero Theseus arrives and, with the help of Ariadne, he ventures into the labyrinth and kills the beast.

Stephen Landridge directs The Minotaur. David Harsent is the librettist, John Tomlinson takes the title role, with Christine Rice as Ariadne and Johan Reuter as Theseus.

Antonio Pappano conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

The broadcast has been commissioned by Music, Arts and Religion Commissioner Adam Kemp. Executive Producer is Oliver Macfarlane.

Notes to Editors

The Minotaur forms part of a wide range of arts and cultural programmes across BBC channels this summer.

Highlights include The Culture Show relaunch on Tuesday 3 June on BBC Two in a new prime time slot at 10pm; Imagine, BBC One's flagship arts strand, which returns on Tuesday 27 May featuring films about the novelist Doris Lessing, director Wernor Herzog and Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, and Arena, with specials on music producer Phil Spector and the London taxi.

BBC Four also launches the Travellers Season which will include The Thirties In Colour and Alastair Cooke – Man Of Letters, a film which tells the story of one of the most celebrated broadcasters of the 20th century.