Cléopâtre

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. 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. Though the opera was writ... more

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. 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. Though the opera was written for the mezzo Lucy Arbell, the role of Cléopâtre was created by the soprano Maria Kuznetsova. The first American performance took place in Chicago on January 10, 1916 with Kuznetsova. The first New York performance was on January 23, 1919 with Mary Garden. It was revived at the Massenet Festival 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. The story concerns the ill-fated... less