This is the premiere recording of Samuel Barber's Antony & Cleopatra, written for the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in 1966. Along with Vanessa, it is one of the peaks of Barber's output and one of the great American operas. Though it is rarely staged, this recording allows us to enjoy the fruits of Barber's accomplishment: the glamour of much of the vocal writing, particularly for Cleopatra; the richness, colour, variety and imagination of the orchestration; the sureness of the workmanship; the sense of the theatre; and the emotional power of its finest moments. An essential acquisition for anyone interested in the evolution of American opera.
