Giulio Cesare
Giulio Cesare in Egitto (English: Julius Caesar in Egypt) is an opera in three acts with music by George Frideric Handel. The Italian libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym. It was based on an earlier libretto written by Giacomo Francesco Bussani. The opera was written for the Royal Academy of Music.
| Giulio Cesare | |
|---|---|
| by George Frideric Handel | |
 Handel in 1733 | |
| Genre | Opera seria in 3 acts |
| Native title | Giulio Casare in Egitto |
| Translation | Julius Caesar |
| Other title | Julius Caesar in Egypt |
| Librettist | Nicola Francesco Haym |
| Language | Italian |
| Premiere | Royal Academy of Music London, England 20 February 1724 |
The opera was first performed in London on 20 February 1724. It was a success. It was performed again in 1725, 1730, and 1732. It was also performed in France and Germany.
Giulio Cesare was not performed in the 19th century. Many people had forgotten all about it. It was not until 1922 that the opera was performed again. Since then, it has been performed around the world. It is Handel's best opera. It is known simply as Giulio Cesare.
Roles
- Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) - alto castrato
- Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt - soprano
- Tolomeo, her brother and husband, King of Egypt - alto castrato
- Cornelia, widow of Pompey - contralto
- Sesto, her stepson - soprano
- Achilla, Tolomeo's General - bass
- Curio, a praetor, Caesar's General - bass
- Nireno, Cleopatra's and Tolomeo's servant - alto castrato
Giulio Cesare Media
First edition of July 1724 printed by Cluer and Creake
The librettist Nicola Francesco Haym seated at the harpsichord, Marco Ricci, c 1709
Senesino, who created the role of Giulio Cesare
Francesca Cuzzoni, who created the role of Cleopatra
Anastasia Robinson, Countess of Peterborough, who created the role of Cornelia shortly before her retirement, British Museum
Caricature of Gaetano Berenstadt, who created the role of Tolomeo
End of sinfonia and beginning of Cleopatra's aria "V'adoro, pupille", act 2, scene 2, autograph manuscript, 1723, British Library
Part of final chorus and duet in minor key for Cesare and Cleopatra, act 3, autograph manuscript
Other websites
- Aria Database - Giulio Cesare arias and operatic roles database
- Metropolitan Opera Broadcast: Giulio Cesare Archived 2007-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
- Opera Today - Giulio Cesare Libretto
- Giulio Cesare, Opera in Three Acts on IMDb. Filmed at Glyndebourne Opera House in East Sussex, England. Opus Arte Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine DVD, released 01/04/2006, contains behind the scenes extras.
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