The Exterminating Angel Is the April 21, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The April 21, 2018, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is The Exterminating Angel by British composer, conductor and pianist Thomas Adès.

British composer, conductor and pianist Thomas Adès's operatic adaptation of Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel's "The Exterminating Angel" received its North America/U.S./Metropolitan Opera premiere during the 2017-2018 Met Opera season: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Nov. 11, 2017

The Exterminating Angel, a three-act surrealist opera by British composer, conductor and pianist Thomas Adès, is the April 21, 2018, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

British designer, director and librettist Tom Cairns is credited with writing the opera’s English libretto in collaboration with Thomas Adès.

The literary source for the English libretto is the Spanish screenplay for Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel’s surrealist film, El ángel exterminador (“The Exterminating Angel”). Luis Buñuel (Feb. 22, 1900-July 29, 1983) collaborated on the screenplay with Mexican film director and screenwriter Luis Alcoriza de la Vega (Sept. 5, 1918-Dec. 3, 1992).

Buñuel’s film was screened May 16, 1962, during the 15th Cannes Film Festival, which was held from May 7 to 23, 1962, in the festival’s host city on the French Riviera. The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématique) honored Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel with the association’s FIPRESCI Award.

Adès’s third opera premiered July 28, 2016, at Haus für Mozart during the annual summer Salzburg Festival. Composing the opera fulfilled a joint commission between the Salzburg Festival; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; the Metropolitan Opera; and the Royal Danish Opera. The opera’s UK premiere took place April 24, 2017, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Eight performances of The Exterminating Angel are scheduled for the 2017-2018 Met Opera season. The opera’s U.S. premiere took place Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The month’s second performance happened Monday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m.

Six performances were scheduled for November. The month’s first performance happened Friday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. The month’s second performance, Tuesday, Nov. 7, took place at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Additional performances were offered Friday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 18, at 1 p.m. Closing night was Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. Closing night marked the eighth performance of The Exterminating Angel at the Metropolitan Opera.

The 2017-2018 Metropolitan Opera’s Saturday matinee broadcast of The Exterminating Angel is set for April 21, 2018, at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Estimated run time for the three-act opera is 2 hours 32 minutes. Acts I and II are timed for 71 minutes. An intermission of 30 minutes follows the second act. Act III runs for 51 minutes.

Thomas Adès conducts all performances of his third opera. His birthplace is London, South East England. The British composer, conductor and pianist debuted Oct. 23, 2012, as conductor in the Metropolitan Opera’s premiere of his second opera, The Tempest, an adaptation of Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare’s same-named play.

Audrey Luna appears as Leticia Maynar, an opera diva who sings a rarely heard high note, A above high C. Her birthplace is Salem, Marion County, northwestern Oregon. The American coloratura soprano debuted Dec. 29, 2010, as the Queen of the Night in the Metropolitan Opera’s 404th performance of Die Zauberflöte by 18th century Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). In her Metropolitan Opera debut role, Audrey Luna reaches F, two notes below her current achievement as Leticia Maynar.

Audrey Luna feels that she can sing even higher. “I’ve sung a C above C -- a couple of notes higher than the A, just in a practice room,” she shares in Rebecca Seales’s November 2017 BBC article.

Amanda Echalaz appears as Lucía de Nobile, whose dinner party is far from smooth and sociable. Her birthplace is Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, eastern coastal South Africa. The South African soprano debuted Jan. 16, 2014, in the title role in the Metropolitan Opera’s 843rd performance of Madama Butterfly by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Sally Matthews appears as Silvia de Ávila, whose delirium causes her to mistake a dead lamb for her son Yoli. Her birthplace is Southampton, Hampshire, South East England. The English soprano’s appearances as Silvia De Ávila mark her Metropolitan Opera debut.

Sophie Bevan appears as Beatriz, who forms a pact with her fiancé Eduardo to die together in a closet. Her birthplace is Somerset, South West England. The English soprano’s appearances as Beatriz mark her Metropolitan Opera debut.

Alice Coote appears in as Leonora Palma, who deliriously thinks a disembodied hand is floating through the drawing room. Her birthplace is Frodsham, Cheshire, North West England. The British lyric mezzo-soprano debuted April 12, 2006, in the trouser role of Cherubino in the Metropolitan Opera’s 425th performance of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Alice Coote also appears in the trouser role of Prince Charming in Cendrillon by French Romantic Era composer Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912).

Christine Rice appears in as Blanca Delgado, wife of Alberto Roc, whose piano playing draws everyone into the drawing room. Her birthplace is Manchester, Greater Manchester, North West England. The English mezzo-soprano debuted Dec. 18, 2014, in the trouser role of Hänsel in the Metropolitan Opera’s 265th performance of Hänsel und Gretel by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (Sept. 1, 1854-Sept. 27, 1921).

Iestyn Davies appears as Francisco de Ávila, whose repeated quarrels with explorer Raúl Yebenes culminates in Raúl’s tossing Francisco’s stomach ulcer pills out of reach, outside of the drawing room. His birthplace is York, North Yorkshire, North East England. The British classical countertenor debuted Nov. 14, 2011, as Unulfo in the Metropolitan Opera’s 15th performance of Rodelinda by German-British baroque composer George Frideric Handel (Feb. 23, 1685-April 14, 1759).

Joseph Kaiser appears as Edmundo de Nobile, who is spared from self-sacrifice by Leticia’s realization of the significance of everyone’s placement in the room. His birthplace is Montreal, Quebec, eastern Canada. The Canadian operatic tenor debuted Oct. 3, 2007, as Roméo in the Metropolitan Opera’s 314th performance of Roméo et Juliette by 19th century French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

Frédéric Antoun appears as Raúl Yebenes, an explorer whose rage at Francisco’s perceived mistreatment of his sister drives him to throw Francisco’s stomach ulcer pills out of reach. His birthplace is Quebec City, Quebec, eastern Canada. The Canadian tenor’s appearances as Raúl Yebenes mark his Metropolitan Opera debut.

David Portillo appears as Eduardo, who decides with his fiancée, Beatriz, to die together. His birthplace is Houston, Harris County, southeastern Texas. The American tenor debuted Dec. 16, 2015, as Count Almaviva in the Metropolitan Opera’s 614th performance of Il Barbiere di Siviglia by 19th century Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868). In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, David Portillo also appears as Camille de Rosillon in The Merry Widow by.

David Adam Moore appears as Colonel Álvaro Gómez, the hostess’s secret lover who aids Doctor Carlos Conde in hiding the body of Señor Russell, who died during the night, in a closet. His birthplace is Vidor, western Orange County, Southeast Texas. The American baritone’s appearances as Colonel Álvaro Gómez mark his Metropolitan Opera debut.

Rod Gilfry appears as Alberto Roc, a conductor who is married to Bianca Delgado but pesters Leticia. His birthplace is Covina, Los Angeles County, Southern California. The American operatic baritone debuted Nov. 25, 1996, as Demetrius in the Metropolitan Opera’s premiere performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by 20th century English composer, conductor and pianist Edward Benjamin Britten (Nov. 22, 1913-Dec. 4, 1976).

Kevin Burdette appears as Señor Russell, who is diagnosed by Doctor Carlos Conde as terminally ill and who dies during the night. His birthplace is Knoxville, Knox County, eastern Tennessee. The American bass debuted Dec. 10, 2009, as the Old Servant in the Metropolitan Opera’s 96th performance of Elektra by German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

Christian Van Horn appears as Julio, the mansion’s butler, who solves the guests’ thirst by bursting a water pipe. His birthplace is Rockville Centre, Nassau County, western Long Island, southeastern New York. The American operatic bass-baritone debuted Dec. 6, 2013, as Pistola in the Metropolitan Opera’s 176th performance of Falstaff by. In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Christian Van Horn also appears as the Speaker in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.

Sir John Tomlinson appears as Doctor Carlos Conde, who helps Colonel Gómez to hide Señor Russell’s body in a closet to avoid further distress for everyone. His birthplace is Accrington, Lancashire, North West England. The English bass debuted Dec. 8, 1999, as Moses in the Metropolitan Opera’s premiere performance of Moses und Aron by Austrian composer and music theorist Arnold Schoenberg (Sept. 13, 1874-July 13, 1951).

Co-librettist Tom Cairns directs the new production for the Metropolitan Opera’s hosting of The Exterminating Angel’s U.S. premiere. His production team comprises, Hildegard Bechtler, set and costume designer; Jon Clark, lighting designer; Tal Yarden, projection designer; Amir Hosseinpour, choreographer. Tom Cairns and his production team mark their Metropolitan Opera debuts with their involvement in The Exterminating Angel.

The Exterminating Angel appears as the 21st of the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s 23 Saturday matinee broadcasts. Luisa Miller was the season’s 20th Saturday matinee broadcast. Luisa Miller aired Saturday, April 14, at 12:30 p.m.

The season’s 22nd Saturday matinee broadcast is Cendrillon by French Romantic Era composer Jules Massenet. Cendrillon airs Saturday, April 28, at 1 p.m.

Online database Operabase places Thomas Adès in place 95 in a worldwide ranking of 1,281 composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/2016. Places 94 and 96 are occupied by 20th century Soviet composer of Polish-Jewish origin Mieczysław Weinberg and by 20th century Catalan composer and music critic Xavier Montsalvatge, respectively.

The Exterminating Angel holds place 1,858 in Operabase’s worldwide list of 2,658 most popular operas. Places 1,857 and 1,859 are held by 20th century English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Sir John in Love and by British composer Luke Bedford’s Through His Teeth, respectively.

The takeaway for The Exterminating Angel as the April 21, 2018, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s 21st Saturday matinee broadcast presents a new, contemporary opera that has generated interest at every premiere, from July 2016’s world premiere at Austria’s annual Salzburg Festival, to April 2017’s UK premiere at London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and now to October 2017’s North American/U.S. premiere at the Metropolitan Opera.

Audrey Luna (center), as opera diva Leticia Maynar, goes for a rare, high note the 2017-2018's Met Opera season's premiere of Thomas Adès's "The Exterminating Angel":  The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Nov. 21, 2017

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

British composer, conductor and pianist Thomas Adès's operatic adaptation of Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel's "The Exterminating Angel" received its North America/U.S./Metropolitan Opera premiere during the 2017-2018 Met Opera season: The Metropolitan Opera, via Facebook Nov. 11, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10159701789695533

Audrey Luna (center), as opera diva Leticia Maynar, goes for a rare, high note the 2017-2018's Met Opera season's premiere of Thomas Adès's "The Exterminating Angel": The Metropolitan Opera, via Facebook Nov. 21, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10159750678170533

For further information:

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

“Debut: Alice Coote.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351491 Le Nozze di Figaro {425} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/12/2006.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351491

“Debut: Audrey Luna.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353709 Die Zauberflöte {404} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 12/29/2010.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353709

“Debut: Joseph Kaiser.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352077 Roméo et Juliette {314} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/03/2007.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352077

“Debuts: Amanda Echalaz, Scott Hendricks, Maya Lahyani.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355251 {843} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/16/2014.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355251

“Debuts: Christine Rice, Carolyn Sproule.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355695 Hänsel und Gretel {265} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/18/2014.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355695

“Debuts: David Portillo, Valeriano Lanchas.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356192 Il Barbiere di Siviglia {614} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/16/2015.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356192

“Debuts: Iestyn Davies, Moritz Linn.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354154 Rodelinda {15} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/14/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354154

“Debuts: John Tomlinson, Malin Fritz.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 331393 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Moses und Aron {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/08/1999.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=331393

“Debuts: Peter Van Praet, Paolo Fanale, Carlo Bosi, Christian Van Horn.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355173 New Production Falstaff {176} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/06/2013.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355173

“Debuts: Rodney Gilfry, Nick Stahl, Peter Rose . . .” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 326580 Metropolitan Opera Premiere A Midsummer Night’s Dream {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/25/1996.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=326580

“Debuts: Susan Bullock, Heidi Melton, Kevin Burdette.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353222 Elektra {96} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/10/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353222

“Debuts: Thomas Adès, Alek Shrader, Jasmine Catudal. . .” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354601 Metropolitan Opera Premiere The Tempest {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/23/2012.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354601

“Debuts: Tom Cairns, Hildegard Bechtler, Jon Clark, Tal Yarden, Amir Hosseinpour, Sally Matthews, Sophie Bevan, Frédéric Antoun, David Adam Moore, John Irvin, Ian Koziara.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356772 United States Premiere The Exterminating Angel {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/26/2017.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356772

“John Tomlinson bass.” The Royal Opera House > People.
Available @ http://www.roh.org.uk/people/john-tomlinson

Marriner, Derdriu. “2017-2018 Metropolitan Opera Season Includes a Premiere and a Requiem.” Earth and Space News. Monday, June 12, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/06/2017-2018-metropolitan-opera-season_12.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2017 Met Opera Premiere of Adès’s The Exterminating Angel Is Oct. 26.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Oct. 16, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/10/2017-met-opera-premiere-of-adess.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Luisa Miller Is April 14, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, April 9, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/04/luisa-miller-is-april-14-2018-met-opera.html

May, Thomas. "How Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel Became a Groundbreaking Opera for The Met." Playbill > Classic Arts Features. Nov. 10, 2017.
Available @ http://www.playbill.com/article/angel-in-america

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "'In other words, if she held that note for 1 second, her vocal cords would've vibrated 1,760 times.' LiveScience analyzes the sonic production and frequency of Audrey Luna's high A in The Exterminating Angel. The final performance of the surreal opera this season is tonight, Nov 21." Facebook. November 21, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10159750678170533

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Thomas Adès says he hopes Met audiences 'will feel that they’ve been through something in the theater that is enjoyable … and puts them somewhere completely new, maybe which they didn’t expect. I hope it’s a thrill for them, as it has been for me.'" Performances through Nov 21." Facebook. Nov. 11, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10159701789695533

Miller, Sara G. "How Did an Opera Singer Hit the Highest Note Ever Sung at the Met?" Live Science > Health. Nov. 21, 2017.
Available @ https://www.livescience.com/60993-how-to-sing-the-highest-notes.html

"Performances Statistics Through October 31, 2016.” MetOpera Database > The Metropolitan Opera Archives > Repertory Report.

Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/Database%20Opera%20Statistics.xml

Seales, Rebecca. “Audrey Luna in The Extermianting Angel: The Highest Note in New York.” BBC > News > US & Canada. Nov. 10, 2017.
Available @ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41927437

“Sophie Bevan (Soprano).” Bach Cantatas Website > Biographies of Performers.
Available @ http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Bevan-Sophie.htm