Danielle de Niese as Cleopatra in the Glyndebourne Fesival 2005 production of Guilio Cesare.
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There are the Cleopatras I sing all over the world, and then there is Cleopatra at Glyndebourne.
From the first moment I opened the score, I immediately fell in love with the character of Cleopatra and her music. I knew the role would course through my veins before I ever sang it, and my love for the role has only grown since that day.
Cleopatra and Glyndebourne will forever have a special place in my heart. I was scheduled to make my debut at the Glyndebourne Festival as Adele in Die Fledermaus in 2006, fate had something else in store. A cancellation at the last minute left the festival without a Cleopatra in 2005. I still remember receiving the call from my manager asking whether I would consider appearing at Glyndebourne a year earlier than scheduled. When I heard the words ‘Cleopatra at Glyndebourne’, I knew that YES was the only possible answer.
Words like magical, inspiring and all-consuming can't begin to describe the experience of incarnating Cleopatra in David McVicar’s production of Guilio Cesare. David is a theatrical genius whose mastery of comedy and drama is in a class of its own. It was also a joyous reunion with my mentor, William Christie, the master of early music. Andrew George's brilliant choreography was the icing on the cake. Making my debut at Glyndebourne was enchanting from beginning to end. This is a festival whose prestige, standard of excellence and warm family-feel has no equal in the UK. I will always remember the moment when the show came to a halt due to the roaring applause after my final aria ‘Da Tempeste’ - I was overwhelmed with tears of happiness. The audience response to this production is a wonderful reward for the hard work and dedication that went into the creation of Guilio Cesare at Glyndebourne. The rest is history.
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The DVD of David McVicar's production of Guilio Cesare was recorded in 2006 and the DVD is available online from the Glyndebourne shop.