ANTONY & CLEOPATRA

She was his queen. He was her undoing.

This two-act opera, commissioned for the centennial of the San Francisco Opera, is a co-commission and co-production with the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. With a libretto adapted by the composer himself from Shakespeare’s tragedy, composer John Adams, director Elkhanah Pulitzer and playwright Lucia Scheckner combine the mythic image of antiquity with the glamour of 1930s Hollywood.

Of all Shakespeare’s plays, Antony and Cleopatra is the only one that merges a love drama, a power drama and comedy in a single play. A highly ambitious creation about the archetypal love affair between the two protagonists, as well as geo-strategy in the midst of the decline of the Ancient Republic and rise of the Roman Empire (personified by the young Octavian (Augustus) Caesar). The resonance with today’s world of declining democratic values and shifting international loyalties is provocative and very timely.

Cleopatra (Julia Bullock) is the most psychologically textured character of all the Shakespearean female roles. Her extraordinary human qualities are expressed throughout the play: narcissism, intelligence, capacity for seduction and eroticism, ethical ambivalence, military bravery, indulgence and, ultimately, her true capacity to love. However, in her love game with Antony (Gerald Finley), she reveals real human vulnerability that transcends her self-control. Immersed in a conflict: her love for Antony and the struggle to remain in power; when she realises her defeat, full of scars impossible to erase, she chooses suicide over the humiliation of being brought back to Rome as a trophy of Caesar’s (Paul Appelby) military triumph.

The action takes place in approximately 3130 BC and alternates between two locations: Alexandria and Rome, although the production employs a variety of devices to connect the audience to the contemporary world. Through this journey, we witness the transformation of two god-like figures, Cleopatra/ Isis and Antony/Hercules, into real lovers in all their fragility, intimacy and uncertainty. He was a Roman general; she was an Egyptian queen. Their passion would redefine the world order.

Gerald Finley

Bass-baritone. He began singing in Ottawa (Canada) and furthered his musical studies at the Royal College of Music in London, King's College Cambridge and the National Opera Studio. His recent engagements include the world premieres of Anthony & Cleopatra in San Francisco and his role as the Count of Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Opéra national de Paris. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Julia Bullock

Soprano. Born in St Louis, Missouri, she entered the young artists programme of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She furthered her training at the Eastman School of Music, completed a master's degree in vocal arts at Bard College and graduated from the Julliard School in New York. Recent engagements include John Adams' Doctor Atomic in Santa Fe and Purcell's The Indian Queen at the English National Opera in London, Teatro Real in Madrid and the Perm Opera, among others. This is her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Paul Appelby

Tenor. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York and the Lindemann Young Artist Program at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he has sung roles as David (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) and Grimoaldo (Rodelinda). Recent engagements include his debut at the Opéra de Lyon in the production of Candide He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2018/2019 season with Candide

John Adams

Composer, orchestra conductor and creative thinker. His works stand out among contemporary classical compositions for their depth of expression and the profoundly humanistic nature of their themes. He has conducted the world's leading orchestras, programming his own works. This is his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.