Punch and Judy

E590935

Punch and Judy is a modern chamber opera by British composer Harrison Birtwistle, known for its darkly comic reinterpretation of the traditional puppet show through complex, avant-garde music.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
punch and judy show 1

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf chamber opera
basedOn Punch and Judy puppet show NERFINISHED
commissionedBy Aldeburgh Festival NERFINISHED
composer Harrison Birtwistle NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
criticalReception controversial at premiere
later regarded as key work in late-20th-century British opera
firstPublisher Universal Edition NERFINISHED
genre avant-garde music
contemporary classical music
hasCharacter Choregos
Doctor NERFINISHED
Hangman NERFINISHED
Judy NERFINISHED
Lawyer
Pretty Polly NERFINISHED
Punch NERFINISHED
hasTheme distortion of domestic life
subversion of popular entertainment traditions
violence and ritual
language English
librettist Stephen Pruslin NERFINISHED
movementInComposerOutput early major stage work of Harrison Birtwistle
musicCharacter fragmented melodic lines
highly dissonant
rhythmically intricate
notableCharacteristic complex rhythmic structures
darkly comic tone
dense orchestral textures
violent reinterpretation of traditional puppet show
orchestration small chamber ensemble
premiereDate 1968-06-08
premiereFestival Aldeburgh Festival NERFINISHED
premiereLocation Aldeburgh, England NERFINISHED
relatedWorkOfComposer The Mask of Orpheus NERFINISHED
The Minotaur NERFINISHED
structure one act
style expressionist
modernist
subjectMatter grotesque comedy
marital conflict
murder
timePeriodOfComposition 1960s
vocalForces small chorus
solo voices

Referenced by (3)

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

Harrison Birtwistle notableWork Punch and Judy
British seaside culture includesElement Punch and Judy
this entity surface form: punch and judy show
Garden Party includesSong Punch and Judy