Guitar Interlude from “The Exterminating Angel“ - Thomas Adès

“The Exterminating Angel“ is an opera by the great British composer Thomas Adès, based on the 1962 film of the same name by Luis Buñuel. The guitar is featured prominently in the third act, which is where this interlude takes place, though in the opera it is presented in ensemble with mezzo-soprano and Ondes Martenot. The guitar part works wonderfully as a violent and virtuosic miniature when played as a solo piece. I was initially inspired by a great rendition performed by the Danish guitarist Jesper Sivebæk, and simply had to learn it for myself. This performance is taken from a concert I recorded for the Société de guitare de Montréal in March, 2021: