Cléopâtre
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| Operas by Jules Massenet |
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La grand'tante (1867) |
Cléopâtre is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Payen. It was first performed in at the Opéra Monte-Carlo on February 23, 1914, nearly two years after Massenet's death.
The story concerns the ill-fated love of Cléopâtre and Marc-Antoine. Marc-Antoine sees Cléopâtre for the first time following the conquering of Egypt and is instantly entranced by her beauty. Dismissing his obligations in Rome, Marc-Antoine goes with Cléopâtre, and even after returning to fulfill his promise of marriage to Octavia, he is lured back by lust and jealousy. Being told, falsely, that Cléopâtre has been killed, Marc-Antoine falls on his own sword and is then brought to Cléopâtre. As she watches him die by her side, she pulls a poisonous snake from a basket of fruit and clutches it to her breast.
Cléopâtre is one of three operas by Massenet to be premiered posthumously; the others are Panurge (1913) and Amadis (1922). The piece has seen limited revival since its premiere and has a modest modern recording history.
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[edit] Performance history
Though the opera was written for the mezzo Lucy Arbell, the role of Cléopâtre was created by the soprano Marie Kousnezova. The first American performance took place in Chicago on January 10, 1916 with Kousnezova. The first New York performance was on January 23, 1919 with Mary Garden. It was revived at the Festival Massenet in Saint-Étienne in 1990 with Kathryn Harries in the title role. This production yielded a live recording (Koch Swann). In 2004, a concert version was performed at the Liceu in Barcelona with Montserrat Caballé.
[edit] Noted arias
- Act III - Cléopâtre: "J'ai versé le poison dans cette coupe d'or"
