The opera that conquered London in Handels time comes to the Met in David McVicars inventive production–which triumphed at its Glyndebourne premiere in 2005. The Guardian praised McVicars –witty, sexy, and tragic post-colonial framing of Handels Caesar and Cleopatra tale,– which incorporates elements of Baroque theater and 19th-century British imperialism to illuminate the operas ideas of love, war, and empire building. The worlds leading countertenor, David Daniels, sings the title role opposite Natalie Dessay as an irresistibly exotic Cleopatra. Baroque specialist Harry Bicket conducts.