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Operas by Samuel Barber
Vanessa (1958) A Hand of Bridge (1959) Antony and Cleopatra (1966)

Antony and Cleopatra is an opera in three acts by American composer Samuel Barber. The libretto was prepared by Franco Zeffirelli based on the play Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare. It originally made use of Shakespeare's language exclusively.

It was first performed in New York City on September 16, 1966, at the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The idea was to have a new opera by an American composer for the gala opening of the new house.

No expense was spared. Franco Zeffirelli was hired as stage director. Thomas Schippers was the conductor. The stage design and costumes were elaborate; the cast enormous including 22 singers, full chorus, and ballet dancers.

Performance history

The opera was badly received by the press, and not enthusiastically received by the public (Freeman 1997, 15; Heyman 1992b). This is generally attributed to the overly elaborate staging, gaudy costumes, and a press focussed more on the social glitter of the occasion than on the music (Heyman 1992a). Most embarrassing, the stage turntable broke under the weight of massive cast of extras during rehearsals. The opera inspired Tupper Saussy, who was inspired to see it because of the terrible reviews, to write the mini-opera, The Moth Confesses.

The opera was dropped from the repertory after the opening run of the initial performances of the production. Many believe that the music is some of Barber's best.

Barber revised the opera, with text revisions by Gian-Carlo Menotti, Barber's long-time partner and librettist of his first opera, Vanessa (Heyman 1992a). This version was premièred under Menotti's direction at the Juilliard American Opera Center on February 6, 1975 (Freeman 1997, 15). There were further productions at the Spoleto Festival USA and Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, in 1983, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1991 (Heyman 1992a).

Roles

Recordings

The Spoleto production was also directed by Menotti, and starred Esther Hinds as Cleopatra and Jeffry Wells as Mark Antony is available on CD (New World Records, 1992)

References

• Freeman, John W. 1997. The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas. New York: W. W. Norton Co. ISBN 0393040518
• Heyman, Barbara B. 1992a. "Antony and Cleopatra". The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, 4 vols., edited by Stanley Sadie; managing editor, Christina Bashford. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 0935859926
• Heyman, Barbara B. 1992b. "Barber, Samuel". The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, 4 vols., edited by Stanley Sadie; managing editor, Christina Bashford. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 0935859926
• Kolodin, Irving. 1966. "Music to my Ears: Barber’s Antony, after Zeffirelli". Saturday Review (October 1).
• Schonberg, Harold C. 1966. "Onstage, It Was 'Antony and Cleopatra'; New Opera by Barber a Bit Lost in Shuffle". New York Times (September 17).