From Birtwistle to Stormzy: why tradition must always be challenged | Classical Music

From Birtwistle to Stormzy: why tradition must always be challenged

Keith Burstein
Monday, April 22, 2024

Composer Keith Burstein explores how music has changed in the three decades since The Hecklers booed Sir Harrison Birtwistle at the Royal Opera House – and reflects on why he felt called to such radical action in the first place

Sir John Tomlinson as the Green Knight in the April 1994 production of Harrison Birtwistle's 'Gawain' which was booed after the performance by The Hecklers on 14 April ©Clive Barda/ArenaPAL
Sir John Tomlinson as the Green Knight in the April 1994 production of Harrison Birtwistle's 'Gawain' which was booed after the performance by The Hecklers on 14 April ©Clive Barda/ArenaPAL

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