ABSTRACT
The influence of Brecht's Berliner Ensemble production style, and his concept of an 'Epic Theatre', is very visible in the economy of the set requirements for King Priam. The presence of Brecht behind the formation of King Priam creates a fascinating dichotomy in the opera. However, this 'Greek' austerity was bought at a price, and discussion of King Priam has not yet resolved whether that price is too high. Despite its great emotional power at some specific points, the musical idiom of King Priam remains on almost every criterion 'Brechtian' rather than 'Aristotelian'. Michael Tippett's artistic aims at the time of King Priam placed an almost impossible burden on his music. In most of King Priam, as in our normal perception of the world, time flows onward. Like the musical materials of Agon, the characters' fragmentary blocks of sound do not develop in the course of King Priam; indeed, some of them become more fragmented.
