For the most part, the most effective passages of this newish piece are the orchestral interludes: the marriage of Antony and Octavia, the battle at Actium, Rome’s celebration of victory over Cleopatra and Antony’s forces. A significant exception is the chilling scene of Octavian’s (Paul Appleby) victory speech, staged as a radio broadcast by a certain Italian leader of the 1930s-1940s.
A hammered dulcimer/cimbalom in the orchestration adds an exotic note.
There’s just something about the character dynamics of Shakespeare’s play that fail to make a compelling story.
- Antony and Cleopatra, composed by John Adams, libretto adapted by John Adams from William Shakespeare, directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, The Metropolitan Opera, New York