396:
announcing that
Cleopatra is approaching in her cangia, and would bathe before sunset. But he warns them of the queen's mood. Maidens and eunuchs prepare her bath with perfumed water and flower petals. Cleopatra's boat arrives, and the queen disembarks, and in her aria "My veins seem filled with flowing quicksilver..." she complains bitterly of the heat. Even the night gives her no comfort, for she cannot forget the host of mummies buried beneath the Egyptian sands. She cries to the gods to give her something radiantly new and different from her monotonous existence. At that very moment an arrow buries itself in the dust at the queen's feet. She swears that whoever shot that arrow would pay for his offense. But then she notices a papyrus wound around the arrow's shaft. She demands that Mardion give it to her. On it is written the words, "I love you." She spots a distant figure swimming in the Nile, and demands that he be brought before her alive. In her aria "I love you, I love you..." Cleopatra thanks the gods for answering her prayer. The queen disrobes and is entering the bath when suddenly Meïamoun emerges from the water of the pool. Eunuchs rush forward, ready to kill the intruder, but Cleopatra stops them. Meïamoun does not cower in fear, but, when questioned explains with the words "I love you", and then embarks on a passionate poetic aria proclaiming his obsession with the queen. "We have breathed the same air," he concludes. "Now I can die." Cleopatra refuses to kill him, but rather offers a bargain. Would he trade his life for one night with her? She warns him that when dawn comes, she would have no pity. Mardion begs him not to sully himself, and admits that she loves him. He states that he does not know her, and when he accepts the queen's bargain, the maid grabs a dagger and stabs herself. Cleopatra orders that her body be thrown to the crocodiles. She only wishes to go to the palace with Meïamoun. Leaning on his arm, she re-enters the cangia, and it slips away into the twilight as her attendants softly chant praises to their queen.
400:
starry cloak. Cleopatra seats herself on her throne, and Meïamoun sits at her feet. The queen urges her love to sit beside her, but requests that he stop looking at her, for she swoons before his gaze. Rather she commands Greek maidens to dance. Despite being offered many delicacies, Meïamoun refuses to eat. Cleopatra summons her desert girls to dance for him and they dance until, too exhausted to resist, they are carried off by some of the guests. Cleopatra urges Meïamoun to repeat those words to her that first won her heart. He sings an earnest, impassioned declaration of his love. The first light begins to glow in the East. Cleopatra urges him to flee with her to a nearby white temple, where they may ignore the dawn, but Meïamoun points out that there is not enough time. Cleopatra commands that the canopies be drawn. She will blot out day for an entire month, that he may continue to love her. She offers him any gift, but he only requests that she, when he is dead, will press his earthly shell to her heart as she does now, and that she will sometimes think of him in the still hours of the night. She agrees. As dawn arrives, the distiller of poisons enters, and offers to Meïamoun a vaporous cup. Saluting the gods, he raises it to his lips. Cleopatra grabs his arm, commanding that he live in order to love her. But just at that moment Iras rushes in to announce Antony's horn. Meïamoun quickly drinks the cup, and falls dead at
Cleopatra's feet. Cleopatra claps her hands, and eunuchs enter to cover Meïamoun's body with silken cloths. Antony's chief officer enters, and Cleopatra tells him to go to Antony and tell him that she eagerly awaits him. When Antony's men leave, she gently uncovers Meïamoun's body, and holding it to her heart in broken tones she tells him that she keeps her promise. Antony's voice is heard, and as distant chanting for rain is heard as in the beginning, she kisses Meïamoun's lifeless lips, and ascends the steps into the palace as her eunuchs again cover her lover's body.
37:
564:
182:
conducted the premiere, though Hadley took the baton for the sixth and final performance of the season, becoming the first
American composer to conduct his own opera at the Met. The opera was brought back the following season for three further performances. Critical reception was generally good,
399:
After a brief intermezzo, the second act opens on the terraces of
Cleopatra's palace just before dawn. A banquet is being held, and the guests comment that no man has kept Cleopatra from her banquet, not even Mark Antony. Soon Cleopatra and Meïamoun emerge from the palace, the hunter clothed in a
395:
river. As the curtain rises, distant
Egyptians are heard chanting a prayer for rain. Cleopatra's favored maids Iras and Mardion enter. Iras notes that Mardion is very pale. Mardion admits that she is hopelessly in love with Meïamoun, a lion hunter, but that he pays her no heed. A Eunuch enters,
602:
627:
432:
126:
53:
443:
473:
567:
313:
36:
612:
438:
97:
597:
617:
622:
466:
592:
505:
459:
130:
72:
184:
151:
is written in an eclectic late romantic style, influenced both by the dramatic lyricism of the
607:
529:
482:
266:
118:
134:
76:
8:
138:
141:
on
January 31, 1920. The opera was revived the following season, and was broadcast on
346:
326:
167:
187:
proclaiming it the best of ten
American operas that had so far appeared at the Met.
548:
587:
249:
175:
160:
513:
156:
581:
300:
295:
282:
28:
231:
209:
179:
171:
410:
391:
The first act opens beside
Cleopatra's bath in a spacious garden near the
256:
451:
217:
261:
122:
497:
226:
152:
244:
114:
24:
392:
142:
155:
movement and the rich orchestral approach employed by
447:: Libretto at the University of California Library
41:Orville Harrold and Frances Alda in a scene from
579:
603:Opera world premieres at the Metropolitan Opera
568:Category:Compositions by Henry Kimball Hadley
467:
166:The opera's first production was designed by
474:
460:
35:
628:Adaptations of works by Théophile Gautier
439:International Music Score Library Project
481:
580:
365:Diomedes, Chief of Cleopatra's rowers
455:
13:
14:
639:
426:
174:sang the title role, while tenor
117:in two acts by American composer
613:Depictions of Cleopatra in opera
563:
562:
506:Azora, the Daughter of Montezuma
129:based on the 1838 short story "
598:Operas by Henry Kimball Hadley
1:
137:. The opera premiered at the
98:The Metropolitan Opera House
7:
618:Operas set in ancient Egypt
178:sang the role of Meïamoun.
10:
644:
623:Operas based on literature
403:
559:
540:
489:
375:The Distiller of Poisons
275:favored maid to the Queen
131:One of Cleopatra's Nights
87:31 January 1920
82:
73:One of Cleopatra's Nights
67:
59:
49:
34:
23:
18:
190:
593:English-language operas
413:(in German). operone.de
386:
320:Antony's Chief Officer
411:"Henry Kimball Hadley"
530:A Night in Old Paris
483:Henry Kimball Hadley
267:Vincenzo Reschiglian
119:Henry Kimball Hadley
133:" by French author
139:Metropolitan Opera
127:Alice Leal Pollock
54:Alice Leal Pollock
575:
574:
522:Cleopatra's Night
445:Cleopatra's Night
434:Cleopatra's Night
384:
383:
168:Norman Bel Geddes
149:Cleopatra's Night
135:Théophile Gautier
110:Cleopatra's Night
106:
105:
77:Théophile Gautier
43:Cleopatra's Night
19:Cleopatra's Night
635:
566:
565:
549:Streets of Pekin
541:Orchestral works
476:
469:
462:
453:
452:
437:: Scores at the
422:
420:
418:
240:A Young Egyptian
195:
194:
94:
92:
39:
16:
15:
643:
642:
638:
637:
636:
634:
633:
632:
578:
577:
576:
571:
555:
536:
485:
480:
429:
416:
414:
409:
406:
389:
355:A Female Guest
343:A Hungry Guest
250:Orville Harrold
207:
206:31 January 1920
205:
193:
176:Orville Harrold
161:Richard Strauss
145:radio in 1929.
102:
101:
100:, New York City
95:
90:
88:
45:
12:
11:
5:
641:
631:
630:
625:
620:
615:
610:
605:
600:
595:
590:
573:
572:
560:
557:
556:
554:
553:
544:
542:
538:
537:
535:
534:
526:
518:
510:
502:
493:
491:
487:
486:
479:
478:
471:
464:
456:
450:
449:
441:
428:
427:External links
425:
424:
423:
405:
402:
388:
385:
382:
381:
379:
376:
372:
371:
369:
366:
362:
361:
359:
358:mezzo-soprano
356:
352:
351:
349:
344:
340:
339:
337:
334:
330:
329:
327:Louis D'Angelo
324:
321:
317:
316:
311:
308:
304:
303:
298:
293:
286:
285:
280:
279:mezzo-soprano
277:
270:
269:
264:
259:
253:
252:
247:
242:
235:
234:
229:
224:
222:Queen of Egypt
214:
213:
204:Premiere cast,
202:
199:
192:
189:
185:Henry T. Finck
104:
103:
96:
86:
84:
80:
79:
69:
65:
64:
61:
57:
56:
51:
47:
46:
40:
32:
31:
21:
20:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
640:
629:
626:
624:
621:
619:
616:
614:
611:
609:
606:
604:
601:
599:
596:
594:
591:
589:
586:
585:
583:
570:
569:
558:
551:
550:
546:
545:
543:
539:
532:
531:
527:
524:
523:
519:
516:
515:
511:
508:
507:
503:
500:
499:
495:
494:
492:
488:
484:
477:
472:
470:
465:
463:
458:
457:
454:
448:
446:
442:
440:
436:
435:
431:
430:
412:
408:
407:
401:
397:
394:
380:
377:
374:
373:
370:
367:
364:
363:
360:
357:
354:
353:
350:
348:
345:
342:
341:
338:
335:
332:
331:
328:
325:
322:
319:
318:
315:
312:
309:
306:
305:
302:
301:Marie Tiffany
299:
297:
296:mezzo-soprano
294:
292:
288:
287:
284:
283:Jeanne Gordon
281:
278:
276:
272:
271:
268:
265:
263:
260:
258:
255:
254:
251:
248:
246:
243:
241:
237:
236:
233:
230:
228:
225:
223:
219:
216:
215:
211:
203:
200:
197:
196:
188:
186:
181:
177:
173:
169:
164:
162:
158:
154:
150:
146:
144:
140:
136:
132:
128:
124:
120:
116:
112:
111:
99:
85:
81:
78:
74:
70:
66:
62:
58:
55:
52:
48:
44:
38:
33:
30:
29:Henry Kimball
26:
22:
17:
561:
547:
528:
521:
520:
512:
504:
496:
444:
433:
417:29 September
415:. Retrieved
398:
390:
290:
274:
239:
232:Frances Alda
221:
210:Gennaro Papi
208:(Conductor:
180:Gennaro Papi
172:Frances Alda
165:
148:
147:
109:
108:
107:
42:
608:1920 operas
314:Millo Picco
257:Mark Antony
201:Voice type
113:is a short
582:Categories
238:Meïamoun,
91:1920-01-31
50:Librettist
323:baritone
310:baritone
307:A Eunuch
273:Mardion,
218:Cleopatra
333:A Guest
291:a maiden
262:baritone
123:libretto
83:Premiere
68:Based on
60:Language
404:Sources
378:spoken
368:spoken
227:soprano
153:verismo
89: (
63:Italian
588:Operas
552:(1930)
533:(1924)
525:(1920)
517:(1918)
514:Bianca
509:(1917)
501:(1909)
490:Operas
336:tenor
289:Iras,
157:Wagner
125:is by
121:. Its
498:Safié
245:tenor
198:Role
191:Roles
183:with
115:opera
75:" by
25:Opera
419:2010
393:Nile
387:Plot
347:bass
159:and
143:NBC
27:by
584::
220:,
212:)
170:.
163:.
475:e
468:t
461:v
421:.
93:)
71:"
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
