On the American premiere of The Exterminating Angel at the Metropolitan Opera
Tonight will see the third performance at the Metropolitan Opera of The Exterminating Angel, the latest triumph of the English composer Thomas Adès. At last Thursday's premiere, I was gripped by the psychological intensity of the drama and astonished by the ingenuity of Adès’s biting score. From the New York Classical Review:
His imagination begins even before the downbeat: rather than the customary eight-minute bell, an eerie chime summons the audience into the theater, growing ever more insistent as the curtain-time approaches. As the guests sleep between Acts I and II, a blaring, percussive military march accompanies a Rothko-like apparition, a pale wash of green that moves across the front curtain.
Read my full review here.
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