George Benjamin's Written on Skin

"Even the composer’s most committed admirers are a little shocked: Written on Skin feels like the work of a genius unleashed...."

Illuminated. The New Yorker, March 25, 2013. (The first two paragraph are online; the rest is subscribers-only.)

At the end of the column, I give the briefest of reports on the revival of Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur — which can be seen on DVD, in all its gory glory — and praise the Royal Opera House's commitment to contemporary opera.