The Yellow Cake Revue is a musical composition

Musical composition

Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...

 for a speaker (reciter) and pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

 by the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 composer Peter Maxwell Davies

Peter Maxwell Davies

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...

.

Background

It was composed in 1980, in the aftermath of the publication of a report (commissioned by the Secretary of State for Scotland

Secretary of State for Scotland

The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...

 into the possibility of mining uranium

Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...

 ('yellow cake')) which had been discovered near the town of Stromness

Stromness

Stromness is the second-biggest town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the south-west of Mainland Orkney. It is also a parish, with the town of Stromness as its capital.-Etymology:...

 in Orkney. The total opposition by the local community as well as Orkney Islands Council combined with the report's recommendation to reject the mining proposals persuaded the Secretary of State not to give the go-ahead. As has been noted, however, the threat remains.

Structure

The work is a sequence of cabaret songs and recitations, and two interludes for piano. The first, Farewell to Stromness, has become one of Davies' most popular pieces, and has been arranged for various instruments. Similarly, Yesnaby Ground is frequently performed independently of the work for which it is written.

1. Tourist Board Song: O come to sunny Warbeth
   
2. Patriotic Song: You've heard of the man with the pace-maker
   
3. Piano Interlude: Farewell to Stromness
   
4. Recitation - Nuclear Job Interview 1: The Security Guard
   
5. Uranium's Daughters' Dance: They said, when they'd extracted the uranium from the ore
   
6. Recitation - Nuclear Job Interview 2: The Truck Driver
   
7. Atlantic Breezes
   
8. Recitation - Nuclear Job Interview 3: The Mental Healthworker
   
9. Piano Interlude: Yesnaby Ground
   
10. The Tourist Song: Have you heard of the terrorist suicide squad?
    
11. The Triumph of the Cockroad: As earthquakes subsided
    

The work was premiered at the Stromness Hotel as part of the 1980 St Magnus Festival

St Magnus Festival

The St Magnus Festival is an annual 6-day arts festival which takes place on the islands of Orkney off the north coast of mainland Scotland.-History and Management:...

 with Eleanor Bron

Eleanor Bron

Eleanor Bron is an English stage, film and television actress and author.-Early life and family:Bron was born in 1938 in Stanmore, Middlesex, to a Jewish family of Eastern European origin...

as the reciter, accompanied by the composer.