The Exterminating Angel

The Marquis of Nobile, Edmundo, and his wife, Lucía, are having a dinner party after an excellent performance of Lucia di Lammermoor. Naturally, they have invited the leading soprano, Leticia Maynar, as well as the conductor Señor Alberto Roc and his wife, the pianist Blanca Delgardo. Their friends Colonel Álvaro Gómez, and Doctor Carlos Conde will be there, as well as the famous explorer Count Raúl Yebenes. Silvia, Duchess of Àvila, will also attend, accompanied by her brother Francisco, and the soon-to-be-married Beatriz and Eduardo. To make it a round dozen, their friends Señor Russell and Leonora Palma have also been invited. With some absurd entertainment planned, it promises to be a perfect evening.

So successful was the party, that at the end of the evening no one wants to leave. Or rather, every time they try, they simply turn around and stay. Any attempt to go across the threshold turns into a moment of rest on the sofa, or another conversational delay. After sleeping a night in the drawing room, the guests realise that no matter how hard they try, they simply cannot leave.

Days and weeks pass by in this room, with these people. Sickness claims Señor Russell, and madness starts to invade some of the others. With no food, no water, no sanitation, and no way out, desperation leads them to thoughts of murder. But, perhaps there is another key to leaving the room. What if they can retrace their steps and find out where the problem started? Can their lives really be saved by a soprano with a song?

Thomas Adès’s operatic version of Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel is an absurd, gory, and darkly farcical piece, which is rapidly becoming one of the most famous operas of the 21st century.

Act 1

• Prologue - A man with a flock of lambs

Scene 1

• ‘Ee - You! Where d’you think you’re going?’ - Julio, Lucas

Scene 2

• ‘Camila, what do we do?’ - Meni, Camila, Enrique, Pablo

Scene 3

• ‘Ya ha ha ha ha ha’ - Leticia, Nobile, Colonel, Lucía, Russell, Blanca, Roc, Leonora, Silvia, Raúl, Francisco, Beatriz, Eduardo, Doctor
• ‘They’re here!’ - Meni, Camila
• ‘How strange! Lucas’ - Leticia, Nobile, Colonel, Lucía, Russell, Blanca, Roc, Leonora, Silvia, Raúl, Francisco, Beatriz, Eduardo, Doctor, Meni, Camila

Scene 4

• ‘No, I’ve never tasted it’ - Colonel, Blanca, Lucía, Nobile, Silvia, Beatriz, Leonora, Francisco, Eduardo, Roc, Russell, Doctor
• The Ragoût Aria ‘My friends, you must all forgive me’ - Lucía, Colonel, Blanca, Nobile, Silvia, Beatriz, Leonora, Francisco, Eduardo, Roc, Russell, Doctor
• ‘Here it is!’ - Lucía, Francisco, Enrique, Leticia, Russell, Silvia, Blanca, Nobile, Raúl, Roc

Scene 5

• ‘I’m just in time!’ - Lucía, Julio, Pablo, Enrique, Servants

Scene 6

• ‘What was that?’ - Raúl, Colonel, Blanca, Leticia, Leonora
• ‘What’s your name?’ - Eduardo, Beatriz
• ‘Tonight I feel marvellous’ - Leonora, Doctor
• ‘Francisco!’ - Silvia, Francisco, Doctor, Leonora, Raúl
• ‘Brava Blanca’ - Silvia, Beatriz, Leonora, Francisco, Eduardo, Nobile, Raúl, Colonel, Roc, Doctor, Lucía, Blanca, Julio

Scene 7

• ‘Why is nobody leaving’ - Colonel, Lucía

Scene 8

• ‘That went well, despite…’ - Nobile, Lucía, Silvia, Colonel, Leticia, Russell, Doctor, Francisco, Raúl, Beatriz, Eduardo, Roc, Leticia
• ‘Our first night together’ - Eduardo, Beatriz

Interlude

Act 2

Scene 1

• ‘What the hell is happening?’ - Julio, Nobile, Lucía
• ‘How did you sleep, Leonora?’ - Blanca, Leonora, Silvia, Leticia, Doctor, Russell, Leonora
• ‘Gentlemen, quickly!’ - Colonel, Eduardo, Raúl, Silvia, Leticia, Blanca
• The Spoons Aria ‘Forgive me, Lucía’ - Francisco, Lucía, Julio
• ‘But first, would any of the gentlemen’ - Julio, Colonel, Lucía, Blanca
• ‘The butler’s strange resistance’ - Doctor

Scene 2

• Interlude
• ‘Over the sea’ - Blanca
• ‘There is a seriously ill man in the room!’ - Leticia, Doctor, Colonel, Russell
• ‘We are lost’ - Francisco, Silvia, Julio, Beatriz, Eduardo, Raúl, Leticia, Roc, Colonel, Leonora
• ‘We must remain completely calm’ - Doctor, Beatriz, blanca, Eduardo, Roc, Leticia, Silvia, Francisco, Raúl, Colonel
• ‘Silence! I have an idea’ - Nobile, Raúl, Leticia, Francisco, Russell, Silvia, Lucía, Blanca, Leonora, Nobile, Colonel
• ‘I am happy…’ - Russell, Doctor
• ‘I don’t want to die here’ - Beatriz, Eduardo Witches’ Trio ‘When I lifted the lid’ - Blanca, Silvia, Leticia
• ‘¡Consummatum est!’ - Doctor, Colonel
• ‘This is where the ocean ends’ - Eduardo, Beatriz

Act 3

Scene 1

• ‘What can we do?’ - Chorus, Yoli

Scene 2

• ‘Water! Water!’ - Leticia, Lucía, Silvia, Blanca, Leonora, Francisco, Nobile, Raúl, Colonel, Roc, Julio, Doctor
• Obsessive Compulsive Ballet - Leticia, Lucía, Silvia, Blanca, Leonora, Francisco, Nobile, Raúl, Colonel, Roc, Julio, Doctor
• ‘I can’t stand it anymore’ - Francisco, Silvia, Blanca, Lucía, Raúl, Nobile, Colonel
• Interlude
• ‘I think they watch us from time to time’ - Leonora
• ‘Leonora! My hand!’ - Doctor, Blanca, Raúl, Leticia

Scene 3

• ‘What is today?’ - Beatriz, Eduardo Lullaby ‘Fold your body into mine’ - Beatriz, Eduardo

Scene 4

• ‘Aah! Don’t touch me!’ - Roc, Leticia, Raúl, Doctor, Colonel, Leonora

Scene 5

• ‘Quiet as a tomb’ - Chorus, Lucas, Camila, Meni, Enrique, Pablo, Padre, Yoli,

Scene 6

• ‘Edmundo darling’ - Lucía, Nobile, Raúl, Doctor, Blanca, Francisco, Silvia, Leonora
• ‘It’s very late, Yoli’ - Silvia, Yoli
• ‘Witches incantation’ - Blanca, Leonora, Doctor, Francisco, Silvia, Raúl, Roc, Nobile
• ‘Wait! Don’t move!’ - Leticia
• Leticia’s Song ‘Zion, do you ask of my peace’ - Leticia
• The Exit - Chorus, Tutti
• Solemn High Requiem ‘Libera de morte aeternam’ - Tutti