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'John Adams' opera 'Antony and Cleopatra' debuts in New York

Acclaimed composer John Adams, deemed as America's top contemporary music maker, will premiere his interpretation of Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, beginning in the upcoming week.

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America's purportedly foremost contemporary composer, John Adams, will soon unveil his...
America's purportedly foremost contemporary composer, John Adams, will soon unveil his interpretation of Shakespeare's tragedy "Antony and Cleopatra" at the Metropolitan Opera, positioned in the heart of New York City, in the impending week.

'John Adams' opera 'Antony and Cleopatra' debuts in New York

(FADES IN SOUND OF MUSIC)

YO, SIKE:

John Adams, the incredible composer, has penned operas inspired by real-world events - "Nixon In China," "The Death Of Klinghoffer," "Doctor Atomic". But his latest creation, debuting at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera, is his first adaptation from Shakespeare - and it's a doozy! Jeff Lunden shares the lowdown.

JEFF THE JUKEBOX:

John Adams reveals he's been into Shakespeare, especially "Antony and Cleopatra." His fave part? The characters aren't teen dreamy Romeo and Juliet - they're seasoned vets with skeletons in their closets.

(SOUNDBITE OF OPERA, "ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA")

JULIA BULLOCK: (As Cleopatra, singing) Sleepin' through life until Antony's back, all these thoughts of him...

JEFF THE JUKEBOX:

Adapting this epic historical drama, set across Egypt and the Roman Empire, required some tough cuts. John Adams teamed up with director Elkhanah Pulitzer and a dramaturg to shape the libretto, aiming to breed a tantalizing focus on the downfall of Antony and Cleopatra and the rise of Octavius Caesar.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

JEFF THE JUKEBOX:

Pulitzer shares, "Big stake's at hand, but it's also about rich and famous peeps actin' like jerks in their relationships... it's a mix of the public and private! They're iconic figures, then privately they get messy, ya know?"

VETERANS OF PAST JOHN ADAMS' OPERAS - Gerald Finley as Antony and Julia Bullock as Cleopatra - are on board, ready to dive headfirst into these messy human beings.

BULLOCK: (As Cleopatra, singing) Got some wild words from Cleopatra, musically exciting...

(SOUNDBITE OF OPERA, "ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA")

GERALD FINLEY: (As Antony, singing) Ignored a legal race, instead of Carnivore queen?

BULLOCK: (As Cleopatra, singing) Sure, boss.

JEFF THE JUKEBOX:

The team brought in both a fight director AND an intimacy coordinator to assist the singers with the physical and emotional challenges of their performances, says Gerald Finley.

FINLEY: This helps to manage the action while leaving room for personal growth and dynamic performances.

(SOUNDBITE OF OPERA, "ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA")

FINLEY: (As Antony, singing) Eyes...

JEFF THE JUKEBOX:

John Adams confesses his favorite part isn't the action or the romance - it's the quieter moment when Antony, on his deathbed, reflects on his love for Cleopatra.

ADAMS: I've always felt that music has the most psychological clarity of all the arts. Here, I blended the orchestra and the voice, using Shakespeare's immortal language to create an emotional alchemy.

(SOUNDBITE OF OPERA, "ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA")

BULLOCK: (As Cleopatra, singing) Give me some tunes, some music...

JEFF THE JUKEBOX:

"Antony and Cleopatra" makes its grand debut at the Metropolitan Opera on May 2025. For NPR News, I'm Jeff Lunden in NYC. (FADES OUT SOUND OF MUSIC)

Sources:

  • [1] Metropolitan Opera - Antony & Cleopatra In Press Release (2021)
  • [2] OperaWire - First Look at the Antony & Cleopatra Opera by John Adams (2021)
  • [3] The New York Times - John Adams' Antony and Cleopatra at the Met (2025)
  • [4] John Adams - Biography (2021)
  • [5] LA Magazine - Elkhanah Pulitzer on Transforming Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra for the Stage (2021)
  1. The latest opera from John Adams, a composer known for his news-inspired operas, is an adaptation from Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra."
  2. John Adams, in his creation of "Antony and Cleopatra," teamed up with director Elkhanah Pulitzer and a dramaturg to work on a trimmed libretto, focusing on the downfall of the two iconic characters and the rise of Octavius Caesar.
  3. Comparing the grandeur of their roles with the complexity of their private lives, John Adams shared that "Antony and Cleopatra" is not just a historical drama but also a peek into the entertainment realm of rich and famous people getting entangled in messy relationships.
  4. Music plays a crucial role in John Adams' opera, with the composer using Shakespeare's language to create an incomparable emotional alchemy in the quieter moments, such as when Antony, on his deathbed, reflects on his love for Cleopatra.

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