小瓊：因為國際婦女節(jié)的緣故，3月份總是讓我心情激動。上個月我們討論了《軍中女郎》的瑪麗一角。這個月，我們來著重關(guān)注幾部講真人真事的歌劇作品。

小薇：我們要研究的是古代歷史還是現(xiàn)代歷史呢？我知道美國作曲家塞繆爾·巴伯所作的《安東尼與克里奧佩特拉》。這部作品1966年9月16日在紐約林肯中心演出，曾作為大都會歌劇院的揭幕，因此不少人聽說過它的名字，但不過今天已經(jīng)很少上演了。

小瓊：這部歌劇是在莎士比亞的同名歷史劇基礎(chǔ)上創(chuàng)作的。生活在公元前69年至前30年間的克里奧佩特拉是埃及托勒密王朝最后一位活躍的統(tǒng)治者。她因美貌與權(quán)力而知名，與愷撒大帝和后來的馬克·安東尼都有過曖昧關(guān)系。這位“埃及艷后”還曾發(fā)動過戰(zhàn)爭以便讓自己的國家更加強大。

小薇：塞繆爾·巴伯這部歌劇最出彩的地方在于蕾昂泰茵·普萊斯（同樣是一位女強人，也是一名優(yōu)秀的女高音?。┰谠搫∈澜缡籽輹r飾演了克里奧佩特拉。

小瓊：悲傷的是，《安東尼與克里奧佩特拉》的世界首演是一場巨大的失敗。這是數(shù)十年后在大都會歌劇院取得非凡成就的弗朗哥·澤菲雷利所執(zhí)導的早期作品之一。

小薇：歌劇中還有很多杰出的現(xiàn)代女性角色吧。

小瓊：我還能想到的是蘇珊·B.安東尼。她是廢奴主義者和女性選舉權(quán)的先驅(qū)：她反抗奴隸制度，也在為美國女性的選舉權(quán)而斗爭（這直到她去世十年多以后，1919年的美國憲法第十九修正案通過后才得以實現(xiàn)）。維吉爾·湯姆森的《我們大家的母親》描繪了她為社會變革而做出的行動以及其思想，其臺本則正是由當時最重要的美國女性作家格特魯?shù)隆に固顾鶆?chuàng)作。

小薇：一定還有其他的現(xiàn)代人物角色吧。我還記得大約十年以前英國作曲家馬克-安東尼·特內(nèi)奇寫的一部歌劇，就是關(guān)于一位頗為當代的人物——安娜·妮可·史密斯。

小瓊：這位著名時裝模特的感情糾葛，尤其是她和一個有錢老翁的第二段婚姻，成了無數(shù)小報的“料”。這個悲劇故事一直到她因濫用處方藥而離世才結(jié)束。

小薇：這三部用英語演唱的歌劇展示了歌劇女主角們在舞臺上、歌劇里因美貌或智慧而得到的力量，盡管結(jié)局或喜或悲。

Joan： Im always excited in March because of International Womens Day. Last month we discussed Marie from The Daughter of the Regiment； this month， I want to highlight a few operas based on real people.

Valery： Are we dealing with ancient or modern history？ Ive heard of Antony and Cleopatra by American composer Samuel Barber. Many remember this opera by name because it opened the Metropolitan Opera House at New Yorks Lincoln Center on September 16， 1966， but the work is rarely revived today.

Joan： The opera was based on Shakespeares historical play of the same name. Cleopatra， who lived between 69 and 30 B.C.， was the last active ruler of Egypts Ptolemaic Kingdom. She was famous for her beauty and her power， having had romantic liaisons with Julius Caesar， and later with Mark Antony. She waged wars and ruled over her people.

Valery： One of the most important reasons why Samuel Barbers opera was spectacular was that Leontyne Price （also a spirited woman and great soprano！） played Cleopatra at its world premiere.

Joan： One sad fact about Antony and Cleopatra was that the world premiere was a huge failure. It was one of the early productions directed by Franco Zeffirelli， who decades later became so successful at the Metropolitan Opera.

Valery： I guess there are more modern historical figures too in opera.

Joan： I also have in mind Susan B. Anthony， who was a leading abolitionist and suffragette， fighting against slavery and for the right to vote for American women（that didnt come till the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1919， more than 10 years after she died）. Virgil Thomsons opera The Mother of Us All depicts her actions and ideas for social change， with a libretto by none other than the major American female writer of that time， Gertrude Stein.

Valery： There must be other modern figures. I remember some 10 years ago， British composer MarkAnthony Turnage wrote an opera based on a fairly contemporary figure， Anne Nicole Smith.

Joan： She was the model whose romantic entanglements—especially her second marriage to a rich， old man—were the fodder for the tabloids. It is a tragic story， all the way to her untimely death by prescription drug overdose in 2007.

Valery： These three operas， all sung in English， show that on stage and in opera， beauty or brains empower operatic heroines， whether the outcome is happy or tragic.