Premiere of Handel’s “Giulio Cesare” at the 12th Baroque Opera Festival in Warsaw
The 12th Baroque Opera Festival will culminate with the premiere of George Frideric Handel’s hit “Giulio Cesare.” The opera tells the story of political and love intrigue. Having defeated Pompey, the Roman emperor Julius Caesar pursues his rival who flees to Egypt to seek support from Tolomeo. However, the ruler orders Pompey to be murdered immediately after he disembarks and sends his head to Caesar. Cleopatra, who plots against her brother to take sole possession of the throne, visits Caesar in his camp, disguised as a handmaiden, to gain his favor. However, the Egyptian people form a conspiracy against him, wanting to avenge Pompey’s death…
Although “Giulio Cesare” is one of the most frequently performed baroque operas, few people know that after its premiere on February 20, 1724 at the royal Haymarket Theater in London, it fell into oblivion for almost two centuries. The work was revisited only in 1922 during the Handel Festival in Gättinge.
The premiere, staged by Włodzimierz Nurkowski and musically directed by Adam Banaszak, will take place on October 10 at the Warsaw Chamber Opera. It will be on stage three more times, on October 11, 12 and 13.
Two casts are planned, with Jan Jakub Monowid and Yuryi Mynenko alternating in the title role, Teresa Marut and Dorota Szczepańska as Cleopatra, Ray Chenez and Kacper Szelążek as Sesta, Aleksandra Opała and Joanna Motulewicz as Cornelia, Nicholas Tamagna and Rafał Tomkiewicz as Tolomeo. Achilles will be sung by Mariusz Godlewski and Artur Janda, Nirena by Artur Plinta and Paweł Szlachta, and the role of Curio will be played by Łukasz Górczyński and Bartosz Lisik.
The Baroque Opera Festival was established in 1993 due to the growing popularity of baroque music, numerous discoveries and reconstructions of the old repertoire supported by the in-depth historical resources of the Warsaw Chamber Opera. This year’s 12th edition began on September 2, and it will run until November 24.