“ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA”
Samuel Barber was considered one of America’s most popular composers of the 20th century. It was fashionable within certain musical circles to dismiss him as a sentimental reactionary due to Barber’s insistence on a tonal framework for the majority of his compositions.
Barber considered his opera Antony and Cleopatra his finest work but the premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in 1966 was not a success (some said “disaster”) due in part to Franco Zeffirelli’s excessive staging. He reworked the opera with Gian-Carlo Menotti revising the libretto. This version premiered in February 1975 at the Juilliard American Opera Center to good critical appraisal. The opera is based on the play by William Shakespeare.
Lauren Flanigan, the electrifying “singing actress”, will portray Cleopatra and George Manahan will be conducting the New York City Opera Orchestra.
Antony and Cleopatra will be performed at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, January 15, 2009, at 8:00 PM. The seats are located in boxes 56 and 58 in the second tier. Included in the price is a pre-performance dinner at the home of Janet Stovin at 151 Central Park West.
“IL PICCOLO MARAT”
Pietro Mascagni’s thirteenth opera Il piccolo Marat premiered in Rome on May 1, 1921 to acclaim. It represented a return to the lyricism and drama reminiscent of his first and best known opera Cavalleria rusticana.
The opera takes place during the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution. It stars the dramatic tenor Arnold Rawls. David Wroe will be conducting the Teatro Grattacielo Orchestra.
Il piccolo Marat will be performed at Avery Fisher Hall on Monday, April 13, 2009, at 8:00 PM. The seats are located in the “house seat” area. Included in the price is a reception after the performance.
