Cléopâtre

In 1910, Massenet was introduced to Louis Payen by his regular collaborator Henri Cain, who stood guarantor for the young author. Payen, whose real name was Albert Liénard, was at that time known as a poet and journalist; later he was to become secretary general of the Comédie-Française. In five concise tableaux, the librettist described the love affair of Marc-Antoine and Cléopâtre, a dream character for Massenet, the “woman’s musician”. Summoned by the victorious Roman general, the Queen of Egypt refuses to swear allegiance. She becomes indispensable to Marc-Antoine, who eventually relinquishes Rome, his wife and his honour. Although Payen took liberties with the historical facts, the libretto of this drama of passion brought together a wide variety of registers, combining solemn episodes (the arrival of Cléopâtre, Roman wedding) with intimate episodes (love duets) and scenes of lust (orgy, ballet). Massenet began composing in 1911 and finished the orchestration in June 1912, two months before his death. The score of Cléopâtre is striking for its effective structuring of the recitatives and arias, as well as by its continuous progression. The work’s dramatic power and structural clarity allows it to achieve a sense of balance reminiscent of the classical tragédie lyrique. In a letter of  12 May 1912, Massenet named Lucy Arbell as the contralto who should create the title-role, which was exclusively written for her. However, it was Maria Kuznetsova who played Cléopâtre at an ultra-fashionable première at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. Instituting legal proceedings and listing the 288 changes made to the work to allow a soprano to sing it, Lucy Arbell, the composer’s last muse, took her turn as the Queen of Egypt on the stages of Nantes and Bordeaux.