The Tempest: Vocal Libretto

Adès transforms Shakespeare's final play into a libretto that preserves the poetry and complexity of the original while opening new interpretive possibilities through music. Singers working with this text encounter contemporary operatic language that rewards careful attention to text-painting and lyrical nuance, making it an intellectually demanding and deeply rewarding score for advanced vocalists.

The Tempest unfolds as intricate psychological theater set to music that ranges from shimmering lyricism to angular complexity. The libretto carries the weight of Shakespeare's language while remaining deeply singable, creating a dramatic experience that feels both classically rooted and thoroughly contemporary.

This libretto is designed for professional singers, advanced voice students preparing for opera roles, and conductors staging contemporary opera. It serves equally well for dramatic study in university opera programs and for artists seeking 21st-century operatic repertoire with serious artistic credentials.

• Study the text first as standalone drama; understanding Shakespeare's intent and wordplay informs how Adès sets each passage.
• Pay close attention to Adès's use of parlando and rhythmic speech patterns, which often blur the line between sung declamation and pure lyrical melody.
• Collaborate with the orchestral parts and conductor early; the vocal line often interlocks with instrumental material in ways that require precise ensemble awareness.
• Approach the three-act structure as a complete dramatic arc; character development builds across acts in ways that affect how individual arias should land emotionally.

This work anchors a season devoted to contemporary opera or serves as the centerpiece of an advanced vocal studies program. Universities with strong voice faculties and access to sizable instrumental ensembles find this score invaluable for demonstrating how 21st-century composers engage with canonical literature and maintain the operatic tradition.

• Navigating contemporary vocal notation and rhythmic complexity
• Connecting Shakespearean text to musical setting and dramatic character
• Performing declamatory singing that sits between speech and melody
• Understanding how harmonic language serves dramatic intent
• Sustaining focus across a three-act dramatic structure