How Is This "Objectionable?"

"Antony and Cleopatra" has had a rough life. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera for the opening of its Lincoln Center house in 1966, it suffered a variety of mishaps and ended up a failure with only eight performances. Part of the problem was that Samuel Barber was shaken by European reviews of his highly successful "Vanessa." Critics at Salzburg Festival were unhappy that it wasn't an avant-garde atonal piece. Therefore, Barber may have been driven to prove his European skeptics wrong. The result is music that alternates between tonal and atonal styles, which disappointed the New York critics and audiences expecting a modern day "Aida." Therefore, New York City Opera's concert version of "Antony and Cleopatra," its only staged production of the 2008-09 season, was a chance to see if the "People's Opera" could do justice to a star-crossed work. On Friday, 16 January, at Carnegie Hall, the finest performance of Barber's work was delivered. Everything was perfect. Maestro George Manahan's tempos were spot on, the orchestra responded with a flawless performance in a house with far better acoustics than they are used to. The chorus sang with rhythm and tone that flowed into the ear. Lauren Flanigan, whose dramatic soprano voice is far more appropriate for the role of Cleopatra than Leontyne Price's, gave one of her most memorable performances yet. As Antony, New Zealander Teddy Tahu Rhodes announced himself to the New York audience as a world class baritone, David Pittsinger's Enobarbus was flawless and tenor Simon O'Neill's Caesar showed him to be ready to take the operatic scene by storm. Supporting mezzo-sopranos Sandra Piques Eddy and Laura Vlasek Nolen provided expert comedy and pathos in the roles of Charmian and Iras. The rest of the cast was uniformly excellent. Finally, Barber's dreams were fulfilled. Bravo, NYCO