Thomas Adès' 2004 version of The Tempest has been acclaimed as one of the outstanding operas of the new century, so it's a pleasure to have it available in such a fine recording, taken from the 2007 Covent Garden revival, featuring many of the principals from the premiere. Librettist
Meredith Oakes has not only effectively distilled the play so that the opera lasts less than two hours without seeming overly condensed, but she has rewritten and simplified the text. Something is lost when
Shakespeare's poetry is altered, but
Oakes' verse, if more mundane, is easily singable and easily comprehensible. The change in
Shakespeare's language may be the biggest hurdle for purists, but for those who can make the leap and accept the libretto as an independent work of art,
Oakes' version makes strong and coherent dramatic sense.