On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Opera premieres Thomas Ades' The Tempest, a modern opera based on Shakespeare's final play.
Composer Ades, 41, saw his work premiere when he was just 33. The libretto is written by Meredith Oakes and features a great number of divergences form the bard's play. Much of Shakespeare's writing has been compressed into compact couplets that help the opera move along at the swifter pace. In the play, Prospero uses his trickery to bring his daughter Miranda and Ferdinand together, but he is more accepting of her maturity and growth in the opera. The opera also showcases a more vengeful Prospero.
Musically, the opera is considered Ades' greatest work to date and includes the clashing of harmony with some passages being overtly dissonant while others supremely lyrical. When the opera premiered in 2004 at the Royal Opera House, Ades drew some of the most rave reviews from the press. The work recently premiered in August of 2012 at Quebec in the Robert LePage production that the Met will showcase on Tuesday.
LePage recently directed the new Ring production as well as a visually engaging production of La Damnation de Faust by Hector Berlioz.
Headlining the cast as Prospero is Simon Keenlyside, who made the world premiere of the role and recorded it. Playing his daughter Miranda will be Isabel Leonard who is known at the Met for her Rosina and her Mozart roles. Taking on the tremendously difficult role of Ariel is Audrey Luna (see below) who is tasked by Ades to sing in her upper register throughout the night. Also in the cast are Alek Shrader as Ferdinand, Toby Spence as Antonio, Iestyn Davies as Trinculo, John Del Carlo as Gonzalo, and Alan Oke as Caliban.
The opera runs for 8 performances from October 23 to November 17, including a Live Stream in HD to movie theaters around the world on November 3.
Audrey Luna singing and excerpt from The Tempest:
A Video From the Production:
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