Giulio Cesare
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| Operas by George Frideric Handel |
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Almira (1705) |
Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) is an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. The libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym.
It was first performed in London on February 20, 1724.
The opera was an immediate success. Handel revived it (with changes) in 1725, 1730, and 1732; it was also performed in Paris, Hamburg, and Brunswick.
Like Handel's other works in the opera seria genre, Giulio Cesare fell into oblivion in the 19th century.
The roles of Cesare and Cleopatra, sung by the castrato Senesino and famous soprano Francesca Cuzzoni respectively, and which encompass eight arias and two recitatives accompagnati each, totally dispose of the vocal capabilities of the singers. Cornelia and Sesto are more static because they are completely taken by their primary emotions, she with pain because of her husband's death and constantly constrained to defend herself from Achilla and Tolomeo, and he consumed by vengeance for his father's death.
Cleopatra is a multifaceted character: she uses at first her womanly wiles to seduce Cesare and gain the throne of Egypt, and then becomes totally engaged in the love affair with Cesare. She has great arias of immense dramatic intensity Se pietà di me non senti (II, 8) and Piangerò la sorte mia (III, 3). Sensual character is described magnificently in the aria V'adoro, pupille, in which Cleopatra, in the guise of Lidia, appears to Cesare circondated by the Muses of Parnassus (II, 2). This number calls for two orchestras: one is an ensemble scene with strings with sordino, oboe, tiorba, harp, bassoons and viola da gamba concerante.
In the 20th century, it was revived (in heavily altered form) in Göttingen in 1922. In modern times, it has proven to be by far the most popular of Handel's operas, with more than two hundred productions in many countries. The title role and the roles Ptolemy and Nirenus were written for castrati, and in modern productions, Giulio is either transposed for baritone or sung by a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or, more frequently in recent years, a countertenor. Nirenus is usually sung by a baritone and Ptolemy by a countertenor.
The work is considered by many to be Handel's finest Italian opera, possibly even the best in the history of opera seria. It is admired for its superb vocal writing, its dramatic impact, and its deft orchestral arrangements.
Giulio Cesare has become part of the standard operatic repertoire. There are several recordings of it, and it is regularly performed.
The recording that is generally preferred is the Rene Jacobs on Harmonia Mundi. Another more recent recording was conducted by Mark Minkowski and had Magdalena Kozena in the role of Cleopatra.
The Glyndebourne Festival has published its 2005 summer production, directed by David McVicar and conducted by William Christie, on an Opus Arte DVD, with Sarah Connolly in the role of Cesare and Danielle De Niese in the role of Cleopatra. The period has been moved to British colonial times in the first half of the 20th century and the staging contains elements from Bollywood films. Highly recommended.
The controversial American director Peter Sellars has also directed Giulio Cesare, as a studio production in 1990, based on a production originally staged at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. It is conducted by his regular musical collaborator Craig Smith. The production is updated to the unspecified future and set in the Middle East. It features the counter-tenor Jeffrey Gall as Cesare and Susan Larson as Cleopatra. It has been issued on DVD by Decca.
[edit] Roles
| Premiere 1724 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cleopatra | soprano | Francesca Cuzzoni |
| Sesto | soprano or soprano castrato | Margherita Durastanti |
| Giulio Cesare | alto castrato | Senesino |
| Tolomeo | alto castrato | Gaetano Berenstadt |
| Nireno | alto castrato | Giuseppe Bigonzi |
| Cornelia | contralto | Anastasia Robinson |
| Achilla | bass | Giuseppe Maria Boschi |
| Curio | bass | John Lagarde |
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