Giulio Cesare

George Frideric Handel

Magdalena Kožená, Anne Sofie von Otter, Les Musiciens du Louvre (Marc Minkowski, cond.)

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"Et Tu, Brute?" in Song

Opera of the late baroque period usually goes like this: A distraught character enters the scene, with an aria that details his or her particular circumstance. After sharing, that singer totters off and a new one, with a new set of concerns, appears. Often, the connections between "scenes" aren't so clear—personalities emerge slowly, one episode at a time, and listeners have to stitch the details together.

This diffuse approach can be taxing, especially when the opera is about some mythical god or goddess. Giulio Cesare, which is among a handful of Handel's operas to dramatize the life of a genuine historical figure, is less abstract, and more engrossing as a result. In the great Roman leader, Handel has a character whose exploits—and motivations—were known to the learned in his audience. He takes advantage of this, painting a deeply human portrait of a leader, a love affair, a tense time in world history. When, for example, Cleopatra realizes her man is about to be killed by conspirators, her melody grows heavy under the weight of this accumulating dread. As readers of history we know what's going to happen; Handel provides the familiar narrative with rich emotional undercurrents. As listeners, we can't help but feel it.

On one level, Giulio Cesare—considered among Handel's very best work in any genre—is an extended meditation on grief. Though there are arias that express triumph and heroism ("Va tacito e nascosto"), and a few devoted to delicious seductions (Cleopatra's quietly lyrical "V'adoro, pupille," sung as a rhapsody by Magdalena Kožená), much of the music is deeply doleful, addressing various states of emotional devastation. The principals involved in this 2003 version manage to "round out" the temperaments of their characters while hewing to the rigid outlines of Handel's score. There are several jaw-dropping performances—Kožená is a scene-stealing Cleopatra, while Anne Sofie von Otter brings sparkle to the lesser role of Sesto. The ensemble, under the direction of Marc Minkowski, executes Handel's flowing themes with such open, affectionate spirit, it's easy to forget that this is a story of betrayal.

Genre: Opera
Released: 2003, Deutsche Grammophon
Key Tracks: "Svegliatevi nel core," "Va tacito e nascosto," "V'adoro, pupille"
Another Interpretation: Beverly Sills, New York City Opera
Catalog Choice: Operas, Arias, and Overtures, Emma Kirkby
Next Stop: Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Médée
After That: Giuseppe Verdi: Rigoletto, Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, London Symphony Orchestra (Richard Bonynge, cond.)