La Cleopatra (1789) is an opera seria in two acts by composer Domenico Cimarosa with an Italian libretto by Ferdinando Moretti.[1]
| La Cleopatra | |
|---|---|
| Opera seriabyDomenico Cimarosa | |
The composer
| |
| Librettist | Ferdinando Moretti |
| Language | Italian |
| Premiere | |
La Cleopatra was commissioned by Empress Catherine II of Russia in 1788. Cimarosa and Moretti were instructed to keep the opera short and give it a relatively simple plot. As a result, the opera is about a hundred minutes in length which is short for an opera of that period and time. The plot is also very straightforward, lacking the typical plot twists and intrigues of other opera serias of the day. Musically the opera is made up of mostly arias with only a few duets, a quartet, a ballet, and a march. Although music critics have admired the duet at the end of act one, the ballet music, and the final quartet, the opera as a whole is not considered particularly remarkable. The work premiered at the Hermitage TheatreinSaint Petersburg, Russia, on 27 September 1789.[2]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 27 September 1789 |
|---|---|---|
| Cleopatra | coloratura soprano | Anna Pozzi |
| Antonio | castrato | Domenico Bruni |
| Domizio | tenor | Gugliemo Jermoli |
| Arsinoe | soprano | Marianna Gattoni |
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