The King’s Theatre, Haymarket (where Giulio Cesare premiered) is one of the oldest theatre sites in London - we now know it as Her Majesty’s Theatre, home to Phantom of the Opera. In our production, Cesare and Sesto are sung by mezzo-sopranos, while Tolomeo and Nerone are sung by countertenors. The practise of castration to produce singers was eventually made illegal. Because of the way their bodies developed, ‘castrati’ had unrivalled lung capacity and extremely flexible voices, and were the opera superstars of the day. These roles were originally sung by ‘castrati’. Several of the male characters in Giulio Cesare can be sung either by a mezzo-soprano (female) or a countertenor (male singing in falsetto voice). Our version, first heard in 2012, condenses the original three-act structure into two parts, creating a tighter plot with increased dramatic impact. Today, it is one of, if not THE, most frequently performed Handel operas.
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The opening run was a sensation, with the house just as full at the seventh performance as at the first. Giulio Cesare premiered at the King’s Theatre, Haymarket in February 1724 (Handel’s main ‘shopfront’ at the time). Such was the demand that between 17, he produced three whole operas! One of these was Giulio Cesare. Handel was appointed Master of the Orchestra, responsible for sourcing the very best soloists and required to compose new work at an alarming rate. Poet and dramatist John Gay noted that “folks that could not distinguish one tune from another now daily dispute about the different styles of Handel, Bononcini, and Attillio” (other composers)!Ī group of aristocrats had even founded their own company, the Royal Academy of Music, to secure themselves a constant supply of opera.
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Tolomeo also dons some alarming six-inch long golden finger nails, symbolising his petty sadism, whilst Cleopatra’s series of hotpants, slips, and later military uniform show her to be not only a siren, but a multi-layered character. The conservatism of the Romans - Cornelia in her formal skirt suit and Cesare, weary and austere, in his muddied, military uniform, contrasts with the electric blue and gold silk worn by Tolomeo and Cleopatra (the only characters in colour). Candle-like lighting effects mesmerise, and during the opera’s seduction scene, Cleopatra dips her feet in a pool of water in the centre of the set.Ĭostumes paint the culture clash between the Romans and the Egyptians. The stage begins dominated by a Brutalist concrete barrier, which then revolves to reveal the inside of a glittering pyramid - a tomb of gold with a labyrinth of connecting passages within. This stunning production by Tim Albery has a multifaceted set (designed by Leslie Travers), which provides the backdrop for both a world of war and a world of sensuality. This means that the first section returns at the end, but with added musical ornaments improvised on the spot by the singer. Each of the arias in Giulio Cesare is unique - some with virtuosic vocal fireworks, and some the most sublime that Handel ever wrote.Ĭertain arias, such as Sesto’s ‘ Svegliativi nel core’, follow a popular format of the time known as ‘da capo’ (literally ‘from the top’). The connecting recitative (which is essentially sung speech performed with ‘continuo’ such as harpsichord accompanying the singers), contains the plot development. During the arias, the plot is paused and a character expresses their feelings in that moment, providing the audience a window into that character’s soul. The score is broken up into arias and recitative. As such, the orchestra features various early instruments including recorder, viola da gamba and theorbo (a large lute), which all help create a very distinctive sound world. Giulio Cesare was written in the Baroque era (c.
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