Yan Tan Tethera (opera)

Harrison Birtwistle

Operas Punch and Judy (1968) Down by the Greenwood Side (1969) The Mask of Orpheus (1986) Yan Tan Tethera (1986) Gawain (1991) The Second Mrs Kong (1994) The Last Supper (2000) The Io Passion (2004) The Minotaur (2008) The Corridor (2009)

Yan Tan Tethera is a chamber opera (subtitled A Mechanical Pastoral) by the English composer Harrison Birtwistle with a libretto by the poet Tony Harrison, based on a supernatural folk tale about two shepherds, their sheep, and the Devil. It was first performed at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 7 August 1986. The title comes from a traditional way of counting sheep.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 7 August 1986 (Conductor: Elgar Howarth)
Alan	baritone	Omar Ebrahim
Hannah	soprano	Helen Charnock
Caleb Raven	baritone	Philip Doghan
Piper/Bad 'Un	tenor	Richard Suart

References

Sources

Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
Universal Edition details

Bibliography

Adlington, Robert (2000): The Music of Harrison Birtwistle, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-52-102780-2
Beard, David (2012): Harrison Birtwistle's Operas and Music Theatre, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-52-189534-0
Cross, Jonathan (2000): Harrison Birtwistle: Man, Mind Music, Faber. ISBN 0-57-119345-5
Hall, Michael (1984): Harrison Birtwistle, Robson. ISBN 1-86-105235-9