The Exterminating Angel: Vocal Libretto

Adès's libretto (adapted with Tom Cairns from Buñuel's screenplay) transforms a cinematic surrealist concept into compelling sung drama without sacrificing linguistic texture or dramatic precision. The presence of 15 principals creates an intricate ensemble scenario that demands singers capable of both intimate vocal writing and combative dramatic interplay, making it an exceptional choice for companies seeking contemporary opera that challenges singers while remaining theatrically gripping.

The libretto captures an unsettling slow-motion collapse: privileged guests find themselves mysteriously unable to leave a lavish drawing room, and civility gives way to primal hunger, territorial conflict, and moral breakdown. Adès's text moves between moments of brittle wit and raw emotional exposure, creating an atmosphere of surreal entrapment that is both darkly comic and deeply disturbing.

This libretto serves singers, coaches, and music staff preparing for productions of The Exterminating Angel or studying the work in rehearsal and performance contexts. It is also valuable for conductors, dramaturgs, and ensemble members seeking to understand the text, its layered relationships, and its basis in Buñuel's film.

• Study the ensemble dynamics carefully: with 15 principals sharing stage time, tracking individual character arcs and vocal layers requires mapping the score alongside the libretto to understand each character's psychological trajectory and relationship to the group.
• Pay close attention to Adès's harmonic language and intervallic writing; his modernist vocabulary demands precision from singers unfamiliar with contemporary classical voice leading, particularly in passages where tonal anchors dissolve.
• Approach the claustrophobic setting dramatically: the psychological tension of characters trapped in a room should inform phrasing and vocal intensity, with singers finding ways to convey mounting frustration, fear, and social deterioration through vocal color and dynamic control rather than exaggeration.

This libretto is an essential study score for any opera company or university opera program mounting a full production of The Exterminating Angel. It also serves as valuable dramaturgy material for concert performances of excerpts or study performances, allowing singers and musicians to grasp the work's psychological architecture even outside a fully staged context.

• Understanding contemporary operatic libretto and its relationship to source material
• Tracking individual character psychology within a large ensemble framework
• Interpreting surrealist and modernist dramatic language in sung performance
• Analyzing ensemble vocal interactions and dramatic timing