Description: Julius Caesar (Giulio Cesare), the opera, centers around Cleopatra's manipulation of Caesae and Ptolemy, and how this changed the course of Egypt's history. We see Caesar (sung by the unforgettable Theo Adam), not as an ideal ruler, but as a man with his faults and weaknesses.
Julius Caesar might as well have been called "Cleopatra," for her character is so richly and fascinatingly drawn in the music. The development and sequencing of arias (she has 8 in all) represents one of Handel's greatest achievements in terms of insight into human character. Few other musical scores contain so many numbers that have become so well known to the public.
George Frideric Handel was the foremost composer of his day, writing in the style of the Italian school of "opera seria" (grand opera). He reached the peak of his brilliant career in London, where he completely dominated the opera scene. Most of the leads in his operas, in this case the heroic role of Caesar, were written for a "castrato," a male singer who, after a barbarous operation followed by long and arduous training, had developed a soprano or alto voice of such exquisite virtuosity and with such thrillinh qualities as to be thought irresistible at the time. In modern times, these castrato roles are usually given to baritones or tenor.
The great Theo Adam's remarkable performance as Caesar is the highlight of this superior production. No opera of Handel's has been more successful, in his own day or in ours, than Giulio Cesare.
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Rating: - Good stagecraft and competent singing
"Giulio Cesare in Egitto" dates from Handel's greatest period as an opera composer. For those of you who are used to hearing it sung in Italian with male or female altos in some of the key roles, e.g. Julius Caesar and Ptolemy, this 1979 Berlin State Opera version may come as a bit of surprise since the alto roles are sung by base-baritones, as is the bass role of Achillas. Sextus, the son of Pompey and Cornelia is sung by the tenor Eberhard Buchner rather than the usual soprano. The opera is sung in German with no subtitles.
There has also been some extensive cutting, especially to ... Read More
