“Antony and Cleopatra”: from W. Shakespeare’s play to S. Barber’s opera
Abstract
The article is devoted to “Antony and Cleopatra”, the opera created by the American composer S.Barber who based it on the tragedy by W.Shakespeare. The work (libretto by F.Zeffirelli) was first performed in 1966, commissioned to the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House in New York, but turned out to be a failure. In this article, the authors solve the objectives determining the novelty of the study: to consider the history of two versions of the opera, to analyze the modified libretto written in 1975 by the composer together with G.К. Menotti, to compare it with the literary source and to identify the ways of working with Shakespeare’s play, as well as to determine the main plot lines of the musical work. The methodology presented in the article is aimed at a comprehensive study of Shakespeare’s work and the libretto of the opera, which made it possible to identify the emerging connections, their common and different features.
About the Authors
O. Yu. КolpetskayaRussian Federation
Olga Yu. Кolpetskaya, Cand. Sc. (Art Criticism), Professor, Music History Department
Krasnoyarsk, 660049
S. E. Lavrova
Russian Federation
Sofia E.Lavrova, student, Music History Department
Krasnoyarsk, 660049
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Review
For citations:
Кolpetskaya O.Yu., Lavrova S.E. “Antony and Cleopatra”: from W. Shakespeare’s play to S. Barber’s opera. ARTE. 2024;(4):18-29. (In Russ.)