Stage Door News
Stage Door News
The Production
Inspired by Luis Buñuel’s Classic 1962 film of the same name, composer/conductor Thomas Adès’ The Exterminating Angel is one of the most widely anticipated openings of an opera this year. In this surreal fantasy, guests who are invited to an aristocratic dinner party appear to have fallen under a spell and cannot leave.
Immediately following its 2016 world premiere at the Salzburg Festival, The New York Times declared the production as “Inventive and audacious…a major event.” and according to Wilborn Hampton of The Huffington Post, “The Exterminating Angel has been awaited with such high expectations that its arrival has gained the status of a major cultural event in New York’s music world.”
The Cast
This is the third opera from Thomas Adès, a highly accomplished composer and conductor also known for his concertos and symphonic music. His previous two operas included the daring Powder Her Face (1995), which is based on a real life 1960’s British sex scandal and his adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest (2012). Tom Cairns joins Adès as director and co-writer of The Exterminating Angel’s libretto.
The contemporary masterpiece features an ensemble cast of 15 principal singers including soprano Audrey Luna who reaches a high A for the very first time in The Met’s 137-year history. In addition to this incredible feat, an array of hauntingly unusual musical instruments emanate from the opera pit, including miniature 1/32 size violins, a rarely used electronic ondes Martenot, cowbells and slamming doors.
Also featured in this brilliant new production are two Canadian tenors hailing from the Province of Quebec: Frédérick Antoun makes his Met debut as Raúl Yebenes and Joseph Kaiser as Edmundo de Nobile. For the full cast list, click here.
When and Where to Experience ‘The Exterminating Angel’
Audiences across Canada can experience The Exterminating Angel live from the Lincoln Centre in New York at select Cineplex theatres across Canada on November 18 at 12:55 pm ET. The production is in English, with encore performances scheduled in select cities on December 9, 11 and 13 and January 7 and 13. For theatre locations and show times, visit Cineplex.com.
Photo: Iestyn Davies and Frédéric Antoun. ©2017 Ken Howard.
2017-11-08
Toronto: Cineplex Events brings Thomas Adès's acclaimed opera "The Exterminating Angel" to cinemas November 18