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.