Ms. Price Is In The House!

It was brought up in class that Barber wrote the role of Cleopatra for Leontyne Price, which made me wonder why? She possessed a powerful, penetrating, beautiful instrument and it was wasted, in my opinion, on a score written with barely any beauty. I realize that she had core and earthiness to her lower notes, sailing, mellifluous high notes, and she could sing the extremes with ease. Amazing? Absolutely, which is why he wanted her. It’s just disappointing that the opulent beauty of her voice wasn’t always captured by the music, through no fault of her own. Getting past technique and vocal prowess of Price, she was more than singer and Barber knew it.

The Heyman article made specific note of the assiduous studying that Price did to master the role of Cleopatra. “In preparation for her role as Cleopatra, Price put herself in almost complete isolation for a year, accepting as few singing engagements as possible. She read every book she could find, including Plutarch, on Cleopatra, ‘the strongest character I have played to date,’ Price said, ‘and the most provocative.” To facilitate proper pronunciation, she went through the whole play with the British actress Irene Worth and listened to a recording of it…”

Did Barber know she would go to such great lengths to perfect her role? Yes, I believe he did. He was probably aware that her deep understanding of the part could translate both on and off stage. In class we talked about how Cleopatra is the one who runs the story, and we get to know Anthony vicariously through her. Her words, her songs, her emotions are what construct our views of Anthony. Barber chose Price because he knew she would encapsulate everything that Cleopatra represented. Ranging from Price’s voice, radiant beauty, strong confidence, erudition, profundity and most of all her artistry. Cleopatra embodied strength, sensuousness and power, which Price could capture with her presence and voice. Although Barber’s vision, of the opera, was less grandiose than Zefferelli’s, Price had the facility to handle anything. Who else could compete against live animals, a sphinx, and pyramids? Who else could remain calm when lighting cues were misfired or the pyramid she was to emerge from wouldn’t open? Seriously, who has the lung capacity to sing through walls like her and still be heard? In essence, what makes a truly great singer? What motivates a composer to write for such talent? As a student, you keep putting pieces of the puzzle together and keep trying to make your own path, and this article was another revelation. It made me realize how deep a true artist needs to go, even if the opera ended up being a flop. However, I suppose it’s like trying to define music; it’s a life long study of subjectivity that people try to write about in a few sentences, but can never give a complete answer.