Today : world première of Antony and Cleopatra by John Adams in San Francisco

 

Today, the San Francisco Opera presents the world première of the new opera (in 2 acts and 9 scenes) composed by John Adams, Antony and Cleopatra. The libretto, written by the composer, is based on William Shakespeare's play, with supplementary passages from Putarch, Virgil and other classical texts, adapted with the help of Elkhanah Pulitzer and Lucia Scheckner.

(c) Christine Alicino

It is the composer's 9th opera, after, among others, Nixon in China (Houston, TX, October 22, 1987), The Death of Klinghoffer (Brussels, March 19, 1991), Doctor Atomic (San Francisco, October1st, 2005) and Girls of the Golden West (San Francisco, November 21, 2017).

A Roman general and an Egyptian queen embark on a torrid romance, one that will disrupt alliances, end marriages, and spark a pitiless war that gives rise to a new leader, Caesar (reproduced from the San Francisco Opera website).

The cast includes soprano Amina Edris (Cleopatra), bass-baritone Gerald Finley (Antony), tenor Paul Appleby (Caesar), bass-baritone Alfred Walker (Enobarbus), mezzo Elizabeth DeShong (Octavia) and tenor Brenton Ryan (Eros). Eun Sun Kim conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Elkhanah Pulitzer directs.

The orchestral setting is the following (according to the PDF programme book available online) :

- 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 English horn, 1 Eb clarinet, 2 Bb clarinet, 1 bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, 4 horns ;

- 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba ;

- 1 timpani, 3 percussion, 2 harps, 1 celesta, 1 cimbalom

- 40 strings (12 first violins, 9 second violins, 7 violas, 7 cellos, 5 basses)

- chorus

The score is published by Boosey & Hawkes. The performance should last about 3 hours, including one intermission. The venue is the War Memorial Opera House.