‘An Anatomy of Betrayal’: metaphor, method and meaning in the opera Taverner by Peter Maxwell Davies

Abstract

This thesis is the first detailed and evaluative study of the opera Taverner (Op. 45) by Peter Maxwell Davies. It is presented in two parts: Part A (Perspectives) and Part B (Critique). Part A contextualises the opera. It considers its subject, describes its genesis and location, identifies its influences and shows how the opera intersects with other works. Part B considers the opera’s component parts through an explanation of its principal themes, appraisal of the libretto, discussion of structure and an examination of compositional style. This is a critical study which is empirical as opposed to theoretical in character and takes as its point of departure an existing work and does not seek to apply or develop any particular theory. The methods involve a review of existing primary materials, chiefly the opera’s score, writings and talks by the composer, plus secondary sources. This project will not explore Davies’s compositional techniques through analysis since extensive research has already been done in this field. The thesis favours a hermeneutical approach and embraces influence study in seeking to explain the opera’s considerable extra-musical dimensions. As there is no detailed critique of Taverner the primary objective of this study, and in which lies its doctoral originality, is to address that omission. By a comprehensive reappraisal of the opera, the thesis aims to acknowledge the work’s seminal importance and confirm its pivotal position in the composer’s completed oeuvre. Further, a lack of critical engagement with the work allied to its continued absence in the opera house may conspire to the opera acquiring the status of neglected masterpiece. Hence, a secondary objective of the project is to stimulate renewed interest and make a case for the revival of Taverner on stage.