Giulio Cesare

The musical qualities on this recording are superb, as one would expect from this cast of performers. The orchestral playing is just right for Handel, and everyone is in fine voice, with Andreas Scholl and Cecilia Bartolli close to perfection in their individual numbers and achieving beauty almost beyond belief when they sing together. Their duet near the end of Act Three is glorious and would make a perfect thing to play in order to introduce a friend to Handel's operas. Special mention must also go to Anne Sophie Von Otter, Philippe Jaroussky, and ChristopheDumaux, any of whose arias could also make excellent demonstration pieces. Unfortunately, the sets and overall stage production are not on the same level as the vocal performances. The action is set in the contemporary Middle East, and some of the images are too vulgar, too graphic or too ridiculous for my taste. In spite of these reservations, the singing is so beautiful that I award it five stars, and I will return to it frequently. It is a worthy rival to my two favorite versions : the Glyndebourne production with Sarah Connolly and Danielle De Niese and the Danish production with Andreas Scholl and Inger Dam-Jennsen. As to which of the three is the best, for me, the answer is likely to be the one I most recently watched.One month later. Let me add to what I said above. Now that I have viewed this performance several times, I find I am so put off by the staging that I cannot recommend it without serious reservations. Good though the singing is, for me it does not overcome the vulgarity of the performance.

Almost unbelievably great singing, with superb orchestra support and direction. Normally I avoid "Euro trash" concept productions, so my idea was to listen to this with the screen turned off. Occasionally I'd glace at the screen, as I don't seem to be able to do sound-only, and to my chagrin, the acting I saw was superb, and the staging, in some odd way, actually did illuminate the characters. Now I need to go back and watch the whole thing, in the expectation of a frustratingly good evening. I don't want baroque feathers and posturing, and I cannot see why it is necessary to stage opera is such a bizarre fashion (note Cleopatra astride her rocket on the cover), but I have to admit that like Chereau's "Ring" this "Julius Caesar" scores highly on its own rather perverse terms. I'm astonished - and utterly delighted with the singing and the acting.

By all means. I watched this performance on internet once, but I never thought that it would be released on Blue ray , until I saw it on Amazon, and ordered it right away, no hesitation at all. Jaroussky is amazing here , Anne Sophie von Otter the way she sings is so delicate and fine, Andreas Scholl great as usually, Cecilia Bartoli awsome as well. others singers great too. I did really enjoy it as the first time I saw it, BRAVO!!!

Complete performance - over 4 hrs. Production interesting. SInging excellent especially Scholl, Bartoli, von Otter and Dumaux

The problem with staging some baroque operas like Giulio Cesare is that they can seem like endless aria after aria, since there really isn't much happening. I found that the modern staging here added greatly to the drama and comedy of this opera. Yes, some will find it in bad taste, but I enjoyed most of the unusual touches that others have listed. I loved the costumes, especially those of Cecilia Bartoli, who has about 6 different outfits. She looks and sounds radiant here. I also was impressed by the variety of the countertenors (4), of which 3 were especially notable. Andreas Scholl has an elegant sound, perfectly suitable for his role as Cesare. Christophe Dumaux as Tolomeo has an intense, thrilling voice, again matching his character's evil, vulgar persona. Phillipe Jaroussky, playing the young Sesto, has a youthful, beautiful sound, and his Act one duet with Anne Sofie von Otter, playing his mother, Cornelia, is simply ravishing, his voice taking the higher tones in the harmonies, her lush mezzo taking the lower tones. The acting is also very good by all parties, and the end of the opera is both wonderful and mildly shocking. The singing is glorious, and for me, the modern production works.

Excellent. Divine voices of all singers.

One of my favorite versions of this Handel’s. And what an impressive cast. Everyone’s terrific.

La regìa cosiddetta "alternativa" oggi è diventata un cliché conformistico che forse scandalizza ancora solo qualche provincialotto e cela la totale incapacità di comprendere il senso dei capolavori tramandatici dalla storia. Il più influente filosofo della modernità, Nietzsche, si era cacciato in un vicolo cieco col famoso paradosso «non esistono fatti, esistono solo intepretazioni» (che basta rendere autoriflessivo per comprendere che si tratta di aria fritta, che non significa nulla), ma i suoi mediocrissimi nipotini non ne hanno colto neppure alla lontana l'unico valore che tale motto poteva avere, quello provocatorio (e neppure quello reazionario): l'hanno scambiata come un'occasione utile per infliggere ad un pubblico progressivamente divenuto semianalfabeta la pochezza del proprio narcisismo e le proprie ridicole masturbazioni mentali, ammantandole dell'intimidente velo della cultura (questa sconosciuta!). Peccato, perché i cantanti di questa produzione sono bravi e perché Händel non è stato un miserabile postmoderno privo di idee ma un genio della storia musicale ed artistica europea. L'ennesima occasione mancata.

Los cantantes son maravillosos y están en conjunto muy bien, además de ilustrar las diferentes etapas de la interpretación historicista, con la salvedad quizá de Cecilia Bartoli, que es una pésima actriz y parece que se dirige ella misma. La puesta en escena es aberrante y ridícula hasta extremos incomprensibles. Como es posible hacer algo tan tonto y que tanto artista valiosísimo coopere? Si tienen alguna duda observen con atención la carátula y juzguen ustedes mismos.

Os cantores são maravilhosos, a cenografia impactante, a encenação extraordinária, o guarda-roupa muito interessante. Tudo o que uma ópera, sobretudo barroca, deve ser: O espetáculo total! A comprar mesmo!