Giulio Cesare
Giulio Cesare in Egitto (pronounced [ˈdʒuːljo ˈtʃeːzare in eˈdʒitto]; Italian for "Julius Caesar in Egypt", HWV 17), commonly known simply as Giulio Cesare, is a dramma per musica (opera seria) in three acts composed for the Royal Academy of Music by George Frideric Handel in 1724. The libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym who used an earlier libretto by Giacomo Francesco Bussani, which had been set to music by Antonio Sartorio (1676). The opera was a success at its first performances, was frequently revived by Handel in his subsequent opera seasons and is now one of the most often performed Baroque operas.
Performance history
It was first performed at the King's Theatre in Haymarket, London on 20 February 1724. The opera was an immediate success. A contemporary wrote in a letter on 10 March 1724:
...the opera is in full swing also, since Hendell's new one, called Jules César – in which Cenesino and Cozzuna shine beyond all criticism – has been put on. The house was just as full at the seventh performance as at the first.[1]
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 obscurity in the 19th century.[2]
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, make full use of the vocal capabilities of the singers. Cornelia and Sesto are more static characters 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 the advances of Achilla and Tolomeo, and he consumed by vengeance for his father's death.[3]
Cleopatra, on the other hand, 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). Her sensual character is described magnificently in the aria V'adoro, pupille, in which Cleopatra, in the guise of Lidia, appears to Cesare surrounded 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 concertante.[4]
Curio and Nireno do not get any arias in the original version, only singing recitatives, though they take part in the first and final choruses. However, Handel composed an aria for Nireno for a later revival in 1730.
In the 20th century, the opera was revived (in heavily altered form – reorchestrated and revamped with the male castrato roles transposed down for a baritone, tenor or bass) in Göttingen in 1922 by the Handel enthusiast Oskar Hagen.[5] Hans Knappertsbusch and Karl Böhm both conducted it in Munich in 1923, and its first American performance took place at the Smith College of Music in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1927. The first British revival of a Handel opera was the staging of Giulio Cesare at the Scala Theatre in London in 1930, by the London Festival Opera Company, singing in English.
In 1966, the New York City Opera revived the then virtually unknown opera seria with Norman Treigle as Cæsar and Beverly Sills as Cleopatra. Sills' performance in the production, and on the cast recording that followed, made her an international opera star.
The first uncut performance of modern times with the voices at correct pitch did not take place until 1977 at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham, England.[2] It has subsequently proven to be by far the most popular of Handel's operas, with more than two hundred productions in many countries.
In modern productions, the title role, written for a castrato, is sung by a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or, more frequently in recent years, a countertenor. The roles of Tolomeo and Nireno are normally sung by countertenors. The role of Sesto, written for a soprano, is now usually sung by a mezzo-soprano.
The work is considered by many to be one of Handel's finest Italian operas, 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.[6]
Giulio Cesare is now regularly performed.[7]
The opera is scored for two recorders, flute, two oboes, two bassoons, four horns, viola da gamba, harp, theorbo, strings and continuo (cello, theorbo, harpsichord).
The engraving of the stars of Giulio Cesare in a Handel opera
Although a caricature, the contemporary engraving of Senesino on the left, Francesca Cuzzoni and castrato Gaetano Berenstadt on the right, provides valuable information about the visual aspect of the original performances of Handel operas. The illustration is probably of a scene from Handel's Flavio, presented by the Royal Academy of Music in 1723, although it has sometimes been identified as a scene from Giulio Cesare. The elongated bodies of the castrati tower over Cuzzoni, who was described by Horace Walpole as "short and squat". The set is architectural and generic, not a specific locale, and the costumes for the men are also generic, with some inspiration from ancient Roman military attire, breastplates, armoured skirts and leg armour, combined with plumes on the headdresses. Such costumes were worn by the leading men in Handel operas whether the setting was ancient Rome or Gothic Europe. Cuzzoni, in contrast, wears a contemporary gown such as might have been suitable for presentation at court, with a dwarf to serve as her train-bearer.[8]
Roles
| Role[2] | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 20 February 1724 |
|---|---|---|
| Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) | alto castrato | Francesco Bernardi, called Senesino |
| Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt | soprano | Francesca Cuzzoni |
| Tolomeo, her brother, King of Egypt | alto castrato | Gaetano Berenstadt |
| Cornelia, widow of Pompey | contralto | Anastasia Robinson |
| Sesto, her stepson | soprano (en travesti) | Margherita Durastanti |
| Achilla, Tolomeo's General | bass | Giuseppe Maria Boschi |
| Curio, a praetor, Caesar's General | bass | John Lagarde |
| Nireno, Cleopatra's and Tolomeo's servant | alto castrato | Giuseppe Bigonzi |
Giulio Cesare is scored for trumpet, 4 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, flute, first, second and third violins, violas, cello, viola da gamba, harp, theorbo and basso continuo
Synopsis
- Place: Egypt
- Time: 48 B.C.
As with most of his other operas, Handel made several revisions to the score of Giulio Cesare for revivals, adding new arias and cutting others.[2] The aria listing in this synopsis applies to the original 1724 version.
Overture
As typical of most Handel operas, but unlike most other Italian operas by other composers, Giulio Cesare opens with a French-type overture.
Act 1
After the overture, the entire cast, except Giulio Cesare, gathers on stage for the opening chorus. (Chorus: Viva, viva il nostro Alcide). Giulio Cesare and his victorious troops arrive on the banks of the River Nile after defeating Pompeo's forces. (Aria: Presti omai l'Egizia terra). Pompeo's second wife, Cornelia, begs for mercy for her husband's life. Cesare agrees, but on the condition that Pompeo must see him in person. Achilla, the leader of the Egyptian army, presents Cesare with a casket containing Pompeo's head. It is a token of support from Tolomeo, the co-ruler of Egypt (together with Cleopatra, his sister). Cornelia faints, and Cesare is furious about Tolomeo's cruelty. (Aria: Empio, dirò, tu sei). Cesare's assistant, Curio, offers to avenge Cornelia, hoping that she will fall for him and marry him. Cornelia rejects the offer in grief, saying that another death would not relieve her pain. (Aria: Priva, son d'ogni conforto). Sesto, son of Cornelia and Pompeo, swears to take revenge for his father's death. (Aria: Svegliatevi nel core). Cleopatra decides to use her charm to seduce Cesare. (Aria: Non disperar, chi sà?) Achilla brings the news to Tolomeo that Cesare was furious over the murder of Pompeo. Tolomeo swears to kill Cesare to protect his rule of the kingdom. (Aria: L'empio, sleale, indegno). Cleopatra (in disguise) goes to meet Cesare in his camp hoping that he will support her as the queen of Egypt. Cesare is amazed by her beauty. (Aria: Non è si vago e bello). Nireno notes that the seduction was successful. (Aria: Tutto può donna vezzosa). Meanwhile, Cornelia continues to mourn the loss of her husband. (Arioso: Nel tuo seno, amico sasso). Cornelia prepares to kill Tolomeo to avenge Pompeo's death, but is stopped by Sesto, who promises to do it instead. Cesare, Cornelia and Sesto go to the Egyptian palace to meet Tolomeo. (Aria: Cara speme, questo core). Cleopatra now believes that as she has turned Cesare, Cornelia and Sesto against Tolomeo successfully, the scales are tipped in her favour. (Aria: Tu la mia stella sei). Cesare meets Tolomeo, who offers him a room in the royal apartments, though Cesare tells Curio that he expects Tolomeo to betray him. (Aria: Va tacito e nascosto). Tolomeo is fascinated by Cornelia's beauty but has promised Achilla that he could have her. (Aria: Tu sei il cor di questo core). Sesto attempts to challenge Tolomeo, but is unsuccessful. When Cornelia rejects Achilla, he orders the soldiers to arrest Sesto. (Duet: Son nata a lagrimar).
Act 2
In Cleopatra's palace, while in disguise as "Lidia", she uses her charms to seduce Cesare. (Aria: V'adoro, pupille). She sings praises of Cupid's darts and Cesare is delighted. Cesare is smitten with Cleopatra, and Nireno tells Cesare that "Lidia" is waiting for him. (Aria: Se in fiorito ameno prato). In Tolomeo's palace, Cornelia laments her fate. (Arioso: Deh piangete, oh mesti lumi). Achilla pleads with Cornelia to accept him, but she rejects him. (Aria: Se a me non sei crudele) When he leaves, Tolomeo also tries to win her, but is also rejected. (Aria: Sì spietata, il tuo rigore). Thinking that there is no hope, Cornelia tries to take her own life, but is stopped by Sesto, who is escorted by Nireno. Nireno reveals the bad news that Tolomeo has given orders for Cornelia to be sent to his harem. However, Nireno also comes up with a plan to sneak Sesto into the harem together with Cornelia, so Sesto can kill Tolomeo when he is alone and unarmed. (Aria: Cessa omai di sospirare). Sesto enters the garden of the palace, wishing to fight Tolomeo for killing his father. (Aria: L'angue offeso mai riposa). Meanwhile, Cleopatra waits for Cesare to arrive in her palace. (Aria: Venere bella). Still smitten with her, Cesare arrives in Cleopatra's palace. However, Curio suddenly bursts in and warns Cesare that he has been betrayed, and enemies are approaching Cesare's chambers and chanting "Death to Cesare". Cleopatra reveals her identity and after hearing the enemies heading for them, asks Cesare to flee, but he decides to fight. (Aria: Al lampo dell'armi). (Chorus: Morà, Cesare morà). Cleopatra, having fallen in love with Cesare, begs the gods to bless him. (Aria: Se pietà di me non senti). In Tolomeo's palace, Tolomeo prepares to enter his harem. (Arioso: Belle dee di questo core). As Tolomeo tries to seduce Cornelia, Sesto rushes in to kill Tolomeo, but is stopped by Achilla. Achilla announces that Cesare (in the attempt to run from soldiers) has jumped from the palace window and died. Achilla asks again for Cornelia's hand in marriage but is turned down by Tolomeo. Furious, Achilla leaves. Sesto feels devastated and attempts to kill himself but is prevented from doing so by his mother; he repeats his vow to kill Tolomeo. (Aria: L'aure che spira).
Act 3
Furious at Tolomeo for being ungrateful to him despite his loyalty, Achilla plans to defect to Cleopatra's side (Aria: Dal fulgor di questa spada), but Tolomeo stabs him before he does. As battle rings out between Tolomeo's and Cleopatra's armies, Tolomeo celebrates his apparent victory against Cleopatra (Aria: Domerò la tua fierezza). Cleopatra laments losing both the battle and Cesare (Aria: Piangerò la sorte mia). However, Cesare is not dead: he survived his leap and is roaming the desert in search of his troops (Aria: Aure, deh, per pietà). While looking for Tolomeo, Sesto finds the wounded, nearly dead Achilla, who hands Sesto a seal authorizing him to command his armies. Cesare appears and demands the seal, promising that he will either save both Cornelia and Cleopatra or die (Aria: Quel torrente, che cade dal monte). With Cesare alive and Achilla dead, Sesto's spirits lift, and he vows to fight on (Aria: La giustizia ha già sull'arco). Cesare continues on to Cleopatra's camp, where a lamenting Cleopatra is overjoyed to see him. (Aria: Da tempeste il legno infranto).
In the palace, Sesto finds Tolomeo trying to rape Cornelia and kills him. Having successfully avenged Pompeo, Cornelia and Sesto celebrate Tolomeo's death. (Aria: Non ha più che temere). The victorious Cesare and Cleopatra enter Alexandria, and Cesare proclaims Cleopatra to be queen of Egypt and promises his support to her and her country. They declare their love for each other (Duet: Caro! Bella! Più amabile beltà). Cesare then proclaims Egypt's liberation from tyranny, and wishes for the glory of Rome to spread far and wide. For the final chorus, the entire cast (including the dead Achilla and Tolomeo) gathers on stage to celebrate the power of love and the triumph of good over evil (Chorus: Ritorni omai nel nostro core).[1][9]
Recordings
Audio recordings
Pre authentic practice era with the role of Caesar transposed for bass-baritone
| Year | Cast: Cesare, Cleopatra, Tolomeo, Cornelia, Sesto, Achilla |
Conductor, orchestra |
Label[10][11] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Walter Berry, Lucia Popp, Karl Christian Kohn, Christa Ludwig, Fritz Wunderlich, Hans Günther Nöcker |
Ferdinand Leitner, Münchner Philharmoniker Live performance sung in German. |
CD:Orfeo d'Or Cat:C351943D |
| 1967 | Norman Treigle, Beverly Sills, Spiro Malas, Maureen Forrester, Beverly Wolff, Dominic Cossa |
Julius Rudel New York City Opera |
CD:RCA, Cat:6182 |
| 1969 | Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Tatiana Troyanos, Franz Crass, Julia Hamari, Peter Schreier, Ernst Gerold Schramm |
Karl Richter, Münchner Bach-Orchester |
CD: DG Opera House Cat: E4775647 |
With the role of Caesar at original pitch
| Year | Cast: Cesare, Cleopatra, Tolomeo, Cornelia Sesto, Achilla |
Conductor, orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Dame Janet Baker, Valerie Masterson, James Bowman, Sarah Walker, Della Jones, John Tomlinson |
Charles Mackerras English National Opera Sung in English. |
CD:Chandos Opera in English Cat:CHAN3019 |
| 1991 | Jennifer Larmore, Barbara Schlick, Bernarda Fink, Derek Lee Ragin, Marianne Rørholm, Furio Zanasi |
René Jacobs, Concerto Köln |
CD:Harmonia Mundi Cat:HMC901385/87 |
| 2002 | Marijana Mijanovic, Magdalena Kožená, Bejun Mehta, Charlotte Hellekant, Anne Sofie von Otter, Alan Ewing |
Marc Minkowski, Les Musiciens du Louvre |
CD:Archiv, Cat:4742102 |
| 2012 | Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Karina Gauvin, Romina Basso, Emőke Baráth, Filippo Mineccia, Johannes Wasser |
Alan Curtis, Il Complesso Barocco |
CD:Naïve, Cat:B008R5OJXE |
Video recordings
| Year | Cast: Cesare, Cleopatra, Tolomeo, Cornelia Sesto, Achilla |
Conductor, orchestra |
Stage director | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Dame Janet Baker, Valerie Masterson, James Bowman, Sarah Walker, Della Jones, John Tomlinson |
Charles Mackerras English National Opera Sung in English. |
John Copley | DVD:Arthaus Musik 100308 |
| 1990 | Jeffrey Gall, Susan Larson, Drew Minter, Mary Westbrook-Geha, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, James Maddalena |
Craig Smith, Staatskapelle Dresden |
Peter Sellars | DVD:Decca Cat:0714089 |
| 1994 | Graham Pushee, Yvonne Kenny, Andrew Dalton, Rosemary Gunn, Elizabeth Campbell, Stephen Bennett |
Richard Hickox, Australian Opera |
Francisco Negrin | DVD:EuroArts Cat:2053599 |
| 2004 | Flavio Oliver, Elena de la Merced, Jordi Domènech, Ewa Podleś, Maite Beaumont, Oliver Zwarg |
Michael Hofstetter, Gran Teatre del Liceu |
Herbert Wernicke | DVD:TDK Cat:DVWW OPGCES |
| 2005 | Sarah Connolly, Danielle de Niese, Christophe Dumaux, Patricia Bardon, Angelika Kirchschlager, Christopher Maltman |
William Christie, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment |
David McVicar | DVD:Opus Arte Glyndebourne Cat: OABD7024D |
| 2007 | Andreas Scholl, Inger Dam-Jensen, Christopher Robson, Randi Steene, Tuva Semmingsen, Palle Knudsen |
Lars Ulrik Mortensen Concerto Copenhagen |
Francisco Negrin | DVD:Harmonia Mundi Cat:HMD9909008/09 |
| 2012 | Lawrence Zazzo, Natalie Dessay, Christophe Dumaux, Isabel Leonard, Nathan Berg |
Emmanuelle Haïm, Le Concert d`Astrée |
Laurent Pelly | DVD:Virgin Cat:0709399 |
References
Notes
- 1 2 "Giulio Cesare". Handel House Museum. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "List of Handel's works". Gfhandel.org. Handel Institute. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ↑ Burrows, Donald (2012). Handel (Master Musicians). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199737369.
- ↑ Steen, Michael (2014). Great Operas: A Guide to 25 of the World's Finest Musical Experiences. Icon. ISBN 978-1848316119.
- ↑ Howard, Patricia (2014). The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the Coming of a New Operatic Age. Oxford University Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0199365203.
- ↑ Lang, Paul Henry (2011). George Frideric Handel (reprint ed.). Dover Books on Music. pp. 181ff. ISBN 978-0-486-29227-4.
- ↑ Boyden, Matthew (2007). The Rough Guide to Opera 4. Rough Guides. p. 60. ISBN 978-1843535386.
- ↑ Kelly, Thomas Forrest (2006). First Nights at the Opera. Yale University Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-0300115260.
- ↑ "Giulio Cesare in Egitto". Naxos.com. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ↑ "Giulio Cesare in Egitto". Presto.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ↑ "Recordings of Giulio Cesare". Operadis.com. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
Sources
- Dean, Winton; Knapp, J. Merrill (1987), Handel's Operas, 1704-1726, Clarendon Press, ISBN 0-19-315219-3
- Hicks, Anthony, Giulio Cesare in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
External links
- Italian libretto.
- Aria Database – Giulio Cesare arias and operatic roles database
- Giulio Cesare in Egitto: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Score of Giulio Cesare (ed. Friedrich Chrysander, Leipzig 1875)
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