Greek

Turnage's operatic retelling of Oedipus the King, moved to present-day London Greek, first performed in 1988, was composed in on behalf of the Munich Biennale and is based on Steven Berkoff's adaptation of Oedipus the King to a modern setting. It received its premiere in Munich and won the prizes for best opera and best libretto. It is a typical example of Turnage's determinedly urban type of music. His compositional style is not consistently tonal, but remains accessible, colourful, often with aggressive effects, but always retaining an underlying lyricism, at times with a powerful dramatic impact and emotional power.