John Adams’s Antony and Cleopatra Arrives at the Met Opera
This spring, John Adams takes the podium at the Metropolitan Opera to conduct his 2022 Shakespearean opera, Antony and Cleopatra. Directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, the production features Adams champions Julia Bullock and Gerald Finley in the title roles.
From May 12-Jun 7, the Metropolitan Opera presents John Adams’s 2022 Shakespearean opera Antony and Cleopatra, following acclaimed runs at San Francisco Opera and the Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. The Met Opera production includes seven performances conducted by the composer himself in the original production by Elkhanah Pulitzer. This marks the fifth production of a John Adams opera at the Met—past productions include Nixon in China, Doctor Atomic, The Death of Klinghoffer, and El Niño—solidifying his status as the most performed living composer on its storied stage.
Gerald Finley and Julia Bullock star as Antony and Cleopatra, joined by Paul Appleby as Octavius Caesar and Elizabeth DeShong as Octavia.Finley and Bullock, who are both Adams champions in their own right, have also performed together on the GRAMMY-nominated recording of Adams’s opera Doctor Atom?ic.
> metopera.org: John Adams, Antony and Cleopatra
With a libretto in English adapted by the composer from Shakespeare’s tragedy with supplementary passages from Plutarch, Virgil, and other classical texts, the opera distills the epic drama into two gripping acts. The production, created in collaboration with director Elkhanah Pulitzer and dramaturg Lucia Scheckner, fuses the mythic grandeur of antiquity with the starry glamour of 1930s Hollywood.
Critics have lauded the opera since its world premiere. The San Francisco Chronicle praised its “theatrical grandeur blended with expressive intimacy in perfectly judged proportions.” The Financial Times called it “dramatically effective,” while The Telegraph noted the “constant buzz of tense action.” Adams’s orchestration also earned praise, with Opera News stating, “the composer is a master of building tension in the orchestral sound,” and San Francisco Classical Voice hailing the score as “a miraculous summation of the best of his work over the last 30-plus years.”
Performance Information
Monday, May 12 at 7:30pm
Thursday, May 15 at 8pm
Tuesday, May 20 at 8pm
Saturday, May 24 at 1pm
Friday, May 30 at 7pm
Tuesday, June 3 at 7pm
Saturday, June 7 at 8pm
Antony and Cleopatra
Opera in Two Acts
Composed by John Adams
Libretto adapted by John Adams from Shakespeare
With supplementary passages from Plutarch, Virgil, and other classical texts
The Metropolitan Opera | New York
metopera.org
Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Liceu Opera Barcelona
A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Liceu Opera Barcelona
> Further information on Work: Antony and Cleopatra
Photo: Courtesy of Metropolitan Opera