SF Opera readies John Adams’ ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ for world premiere

There’s an epic power struggle taking place at San Francisco Opera this month — one that dates all the way back to ancient Egypt.

“Antony and Cleopatra,” the new opera by Bay Area composer John Adams, makes its highly anticipated world premiere Sept. 10 to open the company’s 100th season. Directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer and conducted by company music director Eun Sun Kim, this bold new work stars bass-baritone Gerald Finley and soprano Amina Edris in the title roles, with tenor Paul Appleby as Octavius Caesar, the third member of the triumvirate.

A timeless tale of desire, deceit and conquest, the new production fuses the Egyptian milieu with the glamour of 1930s Hollywood. Finley and Edris, who recently talked about the new work between rehearsals at the War Memorial Opera House, said they’ve been astonished by its impact.

“It’s fast-moving, intense, passionate, brutal, sensitive, and remorseful,” says Finley. “These political titans of ancient times are being distilled in this moment. It’s like tectonic plates crushing up against each other.”

Edris, who was born in Egypt, may be ideally suited to sing the role of Cleopatra. The soprano grew up learning about her country’s powerful women — icons such as the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, and, of course, Cleopatra.

“In Egypt, Cleopatra was almost like a celebrity,” she says. “She was someone who was extremely intelligent. She spoke nine languages. She’s defiant and strong.”

Adams’ libretto, adapted from Shakespeare with additional sources including Virgil, Ovid, and the Egyptian Book of the Dead, brings in young Caesar as the third power player, one who intends to divide the lovers and conquer Egypt.

Finley says the opera gets to the heart of the power struggle with heightened emotion and one of Adams’ most captivating scores.

“The relationships portrayed in the opera are so intense,” he says.

“But there’s genuine love at the crux of the story. There’s genuine love between Antony and Cleopatra — he worships her, calls her Charmer, his Egypt. The music reflects all of it — the turmoil, the regret he feels. He’s a brutal warrior, but he’s human.”

Finley is well-acquainted with Adams’ music — he made his San Francisco Opera debut in 2005, singing the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer in the company’s world premiere production of the composer’s “Doctor Atomic.” The opera is widely considered one of Adams’ greatest works, and Finley has gone on to sing more than 50 performances of the role in opera houses around the world.

“It was hugely rewarding, one of the most important moments of my career,” he said. “When you’re with one of the greatest living composers, it’s fantastic to revel in their aura and their genius.”

Adams, he says, has delivered one of his finest scores in “Antony and Cleopatra.”

“I’ve had an awareness of this music since the beginning of the year,” he said. “John had written much of it by January of 2021. Being the experienced and sensible composer he is, he let it percolate — condensing it, getting it exactly how he wanted it.”

Edris is singing Adams’ music for the first time, and she said the score has moments of thrilling intensity.

“It’s true to his style in works like ‘Doctor Atomic,’” she said. “It’s very rhythmic, rhythmically driven, with lots of vocal jumps and acrobatics. Over the course of the opera, it becomes more lyrical: the music softens, and you start to see more humanity there.”

Both Finley and Edris like the allure of the 1930s-era production; directed by Pulitzer, it features scenic designs by Mimi Lien, lighting by David Finn, and costumes by Constance Hoffman.

“It’s a glamorous story,” says Finley, “and Cleopatra was the most glamorous woman of her time. That lends itself to the opulence of the Hollywood style.”

Edris also praises the look of the production, but says the heart of the opera is in the triumvirate of lead characters.

“It’s the power struggle between these three individuals — a story of deception and manipulation, and a woman’s place among all that male dominance. That was relevant then, and it’s still relevant today.”

IF YOU GO

What: “Anthony and Cleopatra”

When: Sept. 10 through Oct. 5; production will be live-streamed 2 p.m. Sept. 18 and available On Demand for 48 hours after performance ends

Where: War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco

Running time: 2 hours, 56 minutes, one intermission

Admission: $26 to $408, Sept. 18 livestream, $27.50

Information: sfopera.com