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Glimmerglass Opera Festival 2008 (1) Handel, Giulio Cesare in Egitto: (New production):Soloists, orchestra, and chorus of Glimmerglass Opera, Conductor: David Stern, Michael MacLeod, General and Artistic Director, Cooperstown, New York 23.8.2008 (LS)

Production:

Director: Robin Guarino
Sets:John Conklin
Costumes:Gabriel Berry
Lighting:Robert Wierzel
Fight Direction:Philipp E. Thurman
Projected Titles:Kelley Rourke

Cast:

Giulio Cesare: Laura Vlasak Nolen
Curio: Paul La Rosa
Cornelia: Lucia Cervoni
Sesto: Aurhelia Varak
Cleopatra: Lyubov Petrova
Tolomeo: Gerald Thompson
Achilla:Jonathan Lasch
Nireno: Anthony Roth Costanzo
Violinist: Sue Rabut

Giulio Cesare was hurriedly composed by Handel in 1724 to bail out the struggling Royal Academy of Music. The Royal Academy had been formed five years earlier as a stockholding venture to provide opera in London.  At first all went well, but  a tour by the company to France followed by two disappointing productions threatened to destroy the venture.  Fortunately, Giulio Cesare proved to be a great success and the Royal Academy remained afloat.

In 1946, the eminent opera historian Herbert Weinstock praised Giulio Cesare as a "deeply moving and incessantly interesting opera."  He went on to say: "Had we but the singers today…there is no reason to foresee that a scrupulous revival of Giulio Cesare would not succeed with the true musical public and at the same time please general opera-going audiences as much as Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice."  And indeed during the last sixty years, Giulio Cesare has emerged from the past and has become relatively popular. This review of it will be the fourth in Seen and Heard during the past two years.

The Glimmerglass production, even with some cuts, lasted three and one half hours including two intermissions. The music and singing, with few exceptions, were magnificent.  And unlike other relatively static Handel productions, the audience was treated to a fast paced music drama with only a little of what I call "freneticism".  All too soon the performance ended.

The plot of  Giulio Cesare is bizarre and bears no resemblance to history or to Shakespeare's play.  As the curtain rises Cesare, Cornelia, wife of Pompeo and Sesto, their son, are discussing ways to make peace with the renegade Pompeo. Tolomeo's general Achilla appears with gifts for Cesare.  One of the gifts is none other than Pompeo's head.  Cesare is furious. How dare the Egyptians interfere in the affairs of Rome? Cornelia is now a rich widow, and Curio seeks to wed her. Sesto swears to avenge his father's death.

Meanwhile Cleopatra plans to seduce Cesare and with his army topple her brother Tolomeo from the throne.  She disguises herself as Lydia, an Egyptian maid, and (wouldn't you know it?) Cesare falls in love with Lydia. Cesare and Tolomeo meet in the royal palace and instantly dislike each other.  Sesto and Cornelia burst in seeking revenge, and are thrown into prison.  Tolomeo tries to seduce Cornelia. She rebuffs him and contemplates suicide.  Sesto is released from prison by the sympathetic Nireno and comforts his mother. Cornelia is then put into Tolomeo's harem. Cleopatra  meets Cesare and in the midst of a love duet,  Curio tells them  that there is a plot to kill Cesare.  Cleopatra reveals her true self  and tells Cesare to flee. He says he will defend himself but unfortunately his efforts fail. He is captured and Cleopatra who is also captured thinks that he is dead. All looks lost but Achilla switches his allegiance from Tolomeo to Cesare. Cesare escapes from Tolomeo into the sea, and manages to swim to safety and with Achilla's troops captures the palace. Cornelia again refuses Tolomeo's advances, and Sesto slays Tolomeo. The opera ends with general rejoicing as Cesare and Cleopatra declare their eternal love.

 Laura Vlasak Nolen as Giulio Cesare

Current productions of Giulio Cesare use modern settings, and Glimmerglass was no exception. The stage was a replica of the Shakespearean Globe Theatre leaving little room for formal scenery.  Within these constraints some wonderful effects were created. As the curtain rose the audience found itself viewing a field headquarters tent somewhere in the North African desert during the late 1930s or early 1940s (El Alamein perhaps?).  Instead of the Germans battling the British, the Italians were taking on the Egyptians.  When  Laura Vlasak Nolen entered in her sharp uniform and black boots she looked like a junior Il Duce. The opera was off to a good start.

In the penultimate scene we are  at the royal palace in which a large table model containing pyramids, obelisks, and columns dominates the set. We see Tolomeo  played by the counter tenor Gerald Thompson with his retinue. The casting of Thompson was pure brilliance, for the combination of his figure, mannerisms, and voice produced the antithesis of what one would normally associate with a powerful King Tolomeo.  Cesare confronts Tolomeo and  it is clear that relationships between them will not go well, particularly as Cesare casually knocks over pieces of the grand architectural model during his defiant aria.  Tolomeo's efforts to restore the pieces to their correct positions were hilarious.

Laura Vlasak Nolen was a very believable Cesare as she strutted on stage and became smitten by the sexy Cleopatra. She sang with beauty and passion, and the audience responded with much applause.  Her credits include Waltraute in Die Walküre at the Metropolitan Opera, Tisbe in Cenerentola at the Spoleto Festival, Malcolm in La Donna del Lago at the New York City Opera, and Pierotto in Linda di Chamounix at the Caramoor festival.

Lyubov Petrova, Cleopatra, was introduced as suffering from a cold.  Happily there was little  evidence of that, and as the opera progressed her singing became more confident and effective,to which the audience, onceagain, responded warmly. One of her costumes featured a deep décolletage, and archeologists in the audience may have wondered whether they were going to be seeing the famous topless Minoan snake goddess (they didn't). Petrova has sung Norina in Don Pasquale and Pamina in The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera; the title role in Lucia Di Lammermoor and Gilda in Rigoletto at Washington National Opera as well as other proncipal roles  Pittsburgh and Atlanta Opera, Palermo and Angelica at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia.

Gerald Thompson, Tolomeo, displayed a very beautiful counter tenor voice together with very effective acting. Not surprisingly,  the audience was very enthusiastic about him too.  His credits include singing the same role at the Metropolitan Opera,  Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus and Unulfol in Rodelinda at San Francisco Opera and Portland Opera  and Guido in Flavio at New York City Opera.

Lucia Cervoni as Cornelia, was a member of the 2008 Young American Artists program.  Her mezzo voice was very good, but more projection would have made her performance even more effective.  She has sung Suky Tawdry in the Beggar's Opera, Tessa in Trinity, Carmen in the Tragedy of Carmen, and Mrs. Grose in  The Turn of the Screw.

Aurhelia Varak's  Sesto was sung and acted with great force and competence.  She has appeared as Meg Page in Falstaff with Renato Bruson, The Mother in Hansel and Gretel at Rome Opera  and the female protagonist in the world premiere of Vacchi's Il Letto Della Storia  in Florence's Teatro del Maggio Fiorentino. The other members of the large cast, Paul La Rosa, Jonathan Lasch, and  Anthony Roth Costanzo all sang very well too.

The Glimmerglass Orchestra, conducted by David Stern, was excellent.  Particular mention should be made of Concertmaster  Sue Rabut's, excellent violin obligato in "Flower in the Meadow" and Gabriel Kovach's excellent horn playing in the spectacular aria "The Hunter Seeks his Prey".  Herbert Weinstock commented that Handel's use of four horns in this opera was unusual if not unique and  they certainly enhanced a wonderful production.

Having seem two fine operas, Giulio Cesare and I Capuleti - within two days, my wife and I happily returned to Boston hoping to visit Glimmerglass again next year.

Lew Schneider

Pictures © Cory Weaver/Glimmerglass Opera

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