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Overview
Synopsis
Handel’s Giulio Cesare tells the story of how Julius Caesar (Cesare) tries to bring peace to the turbulent relationship between the Egyptian and Roman empires, but is prevented from doing so by Ptolemy (Tolomeo), the current Egyptian King. Rather than making peace with their enemy, Pompey (Pompeo), Tolomeo orders him executed. Pompeo’s son and wife, Sesto and Cornelia, swear vengeance against him, and Cesare knows that a wicked pleasure-seeking king will only bring ruin on an empire. By rights, Tolomeo should not be on the throne; his sister, Cleopatra, is the rightful heir. She intends to use everything within her power to reclaim the throne, and wants to enlist Cesare in her fight. With so many people opposed to Tolomeo, and him distracted by his harem, it would seem an easy fight, but they have underestimated the loyalty of Achilla, the leaders of Tolomeo’s armies, and all does not go to plan.
With themes of vengeance, love, betrayal, jealousy, and honor, Giulio Cesare has become a timeless classic in the opera repertory, and is one of Handel’s most well-known, and most often performed operas.
Show Information
- Music
- George Frederic Handel
- Libretto
- Nicola Haym
- Category
- Opera
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1724
- Genres
- Drama, Historical/Biographical
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- Egypt, 48 B.C.
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Small
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Professional Opera, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Child, Early Teen, Late Teen, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Written for the King’s Head Theatre, London, in 1724, Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto has been popular since its premiere, and remains one of the most performed of Handel’s operas today. The first performance came during the big London opera frenzy, and was one of three that Handel wrote that year. Starring the most famous singers of the time in lead roles, Francesco Bernardi and Francesca Cuzzoni, and actually employing three castrati, who were notoriously expensive to hire, meant no
to read the context for Giulio Cesare and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
The chorus of Egyptian citizens, Roman attendants, and soldiers of both nations, raise their voices in triumph, welcoming their new leader Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) after his victorious defeat of Pompeo (Pompey) at Pharsalus (‘Viva il nostre Alcide’). Cesare offers them a grand address, claiming the land of Egypt under Roman rule (Aria ‘Presti omai’), but the reality of war is not that simple. Cesare confides in Curio, who is a Roman tribune (or officer), that although
to read the plot for Giulio Cesare and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Either Gender |
Bass |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Contralto |
|
|
Lead |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Countertenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Either Gender |
Mezzo-Soprano, Countertenor, Contralto |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Supporting |
Either Gender |
Mezzo-Soprano, Countertenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Countertenor, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Contralto |
Songs
Act One
Overture
Scene One
No. 1 Chorus ‘Viva il nostre Alcide’ - Chorus
No. 2 Aria ‘Presti omai l’Egizia terra’ - Cesare
Recitative ‘Curio, Cesare venne, e vide e vinse’ - Cesare, Curio
Scene Two
Recitative ‘Questa è Cornelia - Oh sorte!’ - Cesare, Curio, Cornelia, Sesto
Scene Three
Recitative ‘La reggia Tolomeo t’offre in albergo’ - Achilla, Cesare, Sesto, Cornelia, Curio
No. 3 Aria ‘Empio, dirò, tu sei’ - Cesare
Scene Four
Recitative ‘Già torna in sé’ - Curio, Sesto, Cornelia
No. 4 Aria ‘Priva son d’ogni conforto’ - Cornelia
Recitative ‘Vani sono i lamenti’ - Sesto
No. 5 Aria ‘Svegliatevi nel core’ - Sesto
Scene Five
Recitative ‘Regni Cleopatra’ - Cleopatra, Nireno, Tolomeo
No. 6 Aria ‘Non disperar’ - Cleopatra
Scene Six
Recitative ‘Sire, Signor!’ - Achilla, Tolomeo
No. 7 Aria ‘L’empio, sleale, indegno vorria’ - Tolomeo
Scene Seven
No. 8 Recitativo Accompagnato ‘Alma del gran Pompeo’ - Cesare
Recitative ‘Qui nobile donzella chiede chinarsi’ - Curio, Cesare, Cleopatra
No. 9 Aria ‘Non è si vago e bello il fior’ - Cesare
Recitative ‘Cleopatra, vincesti’ - Nireno, Cleopatra
No. 10 Aria ‘Tutto può donna vezzosa’ - Cornelia
Recitative ‘Ferma, Cleopatra’ - Nireno, Cleopatra
Scene Eight
No. 11 Arioso ‘Nel tuo seno, amico sasso’ - Cornelia
Recitative ‘Ma che! Vile e negletta’ - Cornelia, Cleopatra, Sesto, Nireno
No. 12 Aria ‘Cara speme, questo core’ - Sesto
Recitative ‘Vegli pure il germano’ Cleopatra
No. 13 Aria ‘Tu la mia stella sei’ - Cleopatra
Scene Nine
Recitative ‘Cesare, alla tua destra’ - Tolomeo, Cesare, Achilla
No. 14 Aria ‘Va tacito e nascosto’ - Cesare
Scene Ten
Recitative ‘Sire, con Sesto il figlio’ - Achilla, Tolomeo, Cornelia, Sesto
Scene Eleven
Recitative ‘Cornelia, in quei tuoi lumi’ - Achilla, Cornelia, Sesto
No. 15 Aria ‘Tu sei il cor di questo core’ - Achilla
Recitative ‘Madre! - Mia vita!’ - Sesto, Cornelia
No. 16 Duet ‘Son nata a lagrimar / Son nato a sospirar’ - Sesto, Cornelia
Act Two
Scene One
Recitative ‘Eseguisti, o Niren’ - Cleopatra, Nireno
(OR Recitative ‘Giunto e Cesare in corte?’ - Cleopatra, Nireno
and Aria ‘Chi perde un momento’ - Nireno)
Scene Two
Recitative ‘Da Cleopatra apprenda’ - Nireno, Cesare
No. 17 Sinfonia ‘Taci! - Che fia?’ - Cesare, Nireno
Recitative ‘Cieli, e qual delle sfere’ - Cesare, Nireno
No. 18 Sinfonia
Recitative ‘Giulio, che miri?’ - Cesare
No. 19 Aria ‘V’adoro, pupille’ - Cleopatra
Recitative ‘Non ha in cielo’ - Cesare
Recitative ‘Vola, vola, mio cor’ - Cesare, Nireno
No. 20 Aria ‘Se in fiorito ameno prato’ - Cesare
Scene Three
No. 21 Arioso ‘Deh, piangete, oh mesti lumi’ - Cornelia
Recitative ‘Bella, non lacrimare!’ - Achilla, Cornelia
Scene Four
Recitative ‘Bella, placa lo sdegno!’ - Tolomeo, Cornelia, Achilla
No. 22 Aria ‘Se a me non sei crudele’ - Achilla
Recitative ‘Bella, cotanto aborri’ - Tolomeo, Cornelia
No. 23 Aria ‘Sì spietata, il tuo rigore’ - Tolomeo
Scene Five
Recitative ‘Su, che si tarda?’ - Cornelia, Sesto
Scene Six
Recitative ‘Cornelia, infauste nove’ - Nireno, Cornelia, Sesto
No. 24 Aria ‘Cessa omai di sospirare!’ - Cornelia
Recitative ‘Figlio non è’ - Sesto
No. 25 Aria ‘L’angue offeso mai riposa’ - Sesto
Scene Seven
Recitative ‘Esser qui deve in breve’ - Cleopatra
No. 26 Aria ‘Venere bella, per un istante’ - Cleopatra
Recitative ‘Che veggio, oh Numi?’ - Cesare, Cleopatra
Scene Eight
Recitative ‘Cesare, sei tradito’ - Curio, Cesare, Cleopatra
No. 27 Aria ‘Al lampo dell’armi’ - Cesare
No. 28 Recitativo Accompagnato ‘Che sento? Oh Dio!’ - Cleopatra
No. 29 Aria ‘Se pietà di me non senti’ - Cleopatra
Scene Nine
No. 30 Arioso ‘Belle dee di questo core’ - Tolomeo
Recitative ‘Di quel che avete in doppie stelle accolto’ - Tolomeo, Cornelia, Sesto
Scene Ten
Recitative ‘Sire, prendi! - Che fia?’ - Achilla, Tolomeo, Sesto, Cornelia
Scene Eleven
Recitative ‘Ecco in tutto perduto’ - Sesto, Cornelia
No. 31 Aria ‘L’aura che spira tiranno e fiero’ - Sesto
Act Three
Scene One
Recitative ‘In tal modo si premia’ - Achilla
No. 32 Aria ‘Dal fulgor di questa spada’ - Achilla
Scene Two
No. 33 Sinfonia
Recitative ‘Vinta cadesti al balenar’ - Tolomeo, Cleopatra
No. 34 Aria ‘Domerò la tua fierezza’ - Tolomeo
Scene Three
Recitative ‘E pur così in un giorno’ - Cleopatra
No. 35 Aria ‘Piangerò la sorte mia’ - Cleopatra
Scene Four
No. 36 Recitativo Accompagnato ‘Dall’ondoso periglio salvo mi’ - Cesare
(No. 36) Aria ‘Aure, deh, per pietà’ - Cesare
Recitative ‘Cerco invan Tolomeo’ - Sesto, Achilla, Cesare, Nireno
Scene Five
Recitative ‘Lascia questo sigillo’ - Cesare, Sesto
No. 37 Aria ‘Quel torrente che cada dal monte’ - Cesare
Scene Six
Recitative ‘Tutto lice sperar’ - Sesto, Nireno
No. 38 Aria ‘La giustizia ha già sull’arco’ - Sesto
Scene Seven
No. 39 Recitativo Accompagnato ‘Voi, che mie fide ancelle’ - Cleopatra
Recitative ‘Forzai l’ingresso’ - Cesare, Cleopatra
No. 40 Aria ‘Da tempeste il legno infranto’ - Cleopatra
Scene Eight
Recitative ‘Cornelia, è tempo omai’ - Tolomeo, Cornelia
Scene Nine
Recitative ‘T’arresta, o genitrice! - Sesto, Tolomeo, Cornelia
No. 41 Aria ‘Non ha più che temere’ - Cornelia
Final Scene
No. 42a Sinfonia
No. 42b La Marche
Recitative ‘Qui Curio vincitor’ - Nireno, Cesare, Sesto, Cornelia, Cleopatra
No. 43 Duet ‘Caro! - Bella!’ - Cleopatra, Cesare
Recitative ‘Goda pur or l’Egitto’ - Cesare
Chorus ‘Ritorni omai nel nostro core’ - Tutti and Chorus
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
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Guide Written By:
Wendy Silvester
Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.