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Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto

Dame Janet Baker (Julius Caesar), Valerie Masterson (Cleopatra), Della Jones (Sextus), Sarah Walker (Cornelia), James Bowman (Ptolemy), John Tomlinson (Achillas), Christopher Booth-Jones (Curio), David James (Nirenus)

English National Opera, Sir Charles Mackerras

This opera was a personal triumph for Dame Janet. As Caesar, she arms the voice with an impregnable firmness, outgoing and adventurous.
Valerie Masterson shares the honours with Dame Janet,... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Catalogue No: CHAN3019(3)
Label: Chandos
Series: Opera in English
Length: 3 hours 3 minutes

Building a Library

December 2011

First Choice (CD)

Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar), HWV 17

Work length3:03:45

$62.55

$77.35

James Bowman (countertenor), Della Jones (mezzo-soprano), Sarah Walker (mezzo-soprano), John Tomlinson (bass), Valerie Masterson (soprano), Dame Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano), David James (countertenor), Christopher Booth-Jones (baritone)
English National Opera Chorus, English National Opera
Sir Charles Mackerras

Overture

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Act I Scene 1: Caesar! Caesar! Egypt acclaims thee (Chorus)

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Act I Scene 1: Kneel in tribute, fair land of Egypt (Caesar)

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Act I Scene 1: Curio, Caesar has come … (Caesar, Cornelia, Sextus, Achillas)

Track length2:33

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Act I Scene 1: Tyrant, avoid my sight (Caesar)

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Act I Scene 1: Mother! Cornelia! (Sextus, Curio, Cornelia)

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Act I Scene 1: Grief and woe all hope deny me (Cornelia)

Track length6:10

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Act I Scene 1: The time for tears is over (Sextus)

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Act I Scene 1: Come rouse yourselves to vengeance (Sextus)

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Act I Scene 2: You shall be Queen, Cleopatra (Cleopatra, Nirenus, Ptolemy)

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Act I Scene 2: Yet why despair? (Cleopatra)

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Act I Scene 2: Pharaoh, my King! (Achillas, Ptolemy)

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Act I Scene 2: Upstart, barbarian and traitor! (Ptolemy)

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Act I Scene 3: Spirit of mighty Pompey (Caesar, Curio, Cleopatra, Nirenus)

Track length5:19

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Act I Scene 3: Here within thee, O friendly marble (Cornelia)

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Act I Scene 3: Alas! Reviled and neglected, must I remain here for ever? (Cornelia, Sextus, Cleopatra, Nirenus)

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Act I Scene 3: O star of my desire (Cleopatra)

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Act I Scene 4: Caesar! A generous destiny … (Ptolemy, Caesar, Achillas)

Track length1:08

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Act I Scene 4: How silently, how slyly (Caesar)

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Act I Scene 4: Sire, with Sextus her son, the lady Cornelia (Achillas, Cornelia, Sextus, Ptolemy)

Track length1:58

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Act I Scene 4: Ne'er reject a tender lover (Achillas)

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Act I Scene 4: Mother! My dearest! (Sextus, Cornelia)

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Act I Scene 4: Condemn'd to grieve and cry, my love (Cornelia, Sextus)

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Act II Scene 1: Have you done as I ordered, faithful Nirenus? (Cleopatra, Nirenus, Caesar)

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Act II Scene 1: Lamenting, complaining of Caesar's disdaining (Cleopatra, Caesar)

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Act II Scene 1: Fly then, fly, O my heart (Caesar, Nirenus)

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Act II Scene 1: Fleet o'er flowery meadow gliding (Caesar)

Track length7:47

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Act II Scene 2: Still despairing, still lamenting (Cornelia)

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Act II Scene 2: Lady, forget your grieving (Achillas, Cornelia, Ptolemy)

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Act II Scene 2: Deep within my bosom burning (Ptolemy)

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Act II Scene 2: So why delay? (Cornelia, Sextus)

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Act II Scene 2: Sigh no more, forget lamenting (Cornelia)

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Act II Scene 2: He is no son who seeks not full revenge … (Sextus)

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Act II Scene 2: Wounded, the serpent ne'er reposes

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Act II Scene 3: Soon he will come to find me (Cleopatra)

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Act II Scene 3: Venus, fair lady, 1 favour send me (Cleopatra)

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Act II Scene 3: Ah gods! What do I see? (Caesar, Cleopatra, Curio)

Track length2:49

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Act II Scene 3: In anger and fury I'll turn on the foe (Caesar, Chorus)

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Act II Scene 3: They will kill him (Cleopatra)

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Act II Scene 3: Hear my prayer, O gods, relenting (Cleopatra)

Track length9:44

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Act II: Symphony

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Act III Scene 1: So! You are beaten! (Ptolemy, Cleopatra)

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Act III Scene 1: I shall tame your pride unbending (Ptolemy)

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Act III Scene 1: And so in 1 brief hour all my glory is gone? (Cleopatra)

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Act III Scene 1: Flow, my tears (Cleopatra)

Track length6:50

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Act III Scene 1: From the perils of the ocean (Caesar)

Track length2:06

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Act III Scene 1: Zephyrs! Zephyrs, come to mine aid! (Caesar)

Track length6:35

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Act III Scene 1: Nirenus, the battle is fought and lost (Sextus, Achillas, Caesar, Curio)

Track length2:32

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Act III Scene 1: See in spate the high cataract storming (Caesar)

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Act III Scene 2: Ladies, my faithful servants (Cleopatra, Caesar)

Track length3:25

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Act III Scene 2: Stormy winds my ship had shaken (Cleopatra)

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Act III Scene 3: Symphony

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Act III Scene 3: Here, Curio and your legions (Nirenus, Caesar, Sextus, Cornelia, Cleopatra)

Track length2:27

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Act III Scene 3: Dearest! Fairest! (Cleopatra, Caesar)

Track length5:45

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Act III Scene 3: Long, long may Egypt continue (Caesar)

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Act III Scene 3: Proclaim we all great Caesar's glory (Chorus)

Track length0:52

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Act III Scene 3: A vow I give you (Caesar, Cleopatra)

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Act III Scene 3: Proclaim we all great Caesar's glory (Chorus)

Track length0:54

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Katherine focuses on the hugely prolific composer's stage-works in this week's Favourites.

Reviews

2010

This opera was a personal triumph for Dame Janet. As Caesar, she arms the voice with an impregnable firmness, outgoing and adventurous.
Valerie Masterson shares the honours with Dame Janet, a Cleopatra whose bright voice gains humanity through ordeal. The tinkle of surface- wear clears delightfully in her later arias, sung with a pure tone and high accomplishment.
As a total production, Julius Caesar was an outstanding achievement in ENO's history.
Strongly cast, it had a noble Cornelia in Sarah Walker, a high-spirited Sesto in Della Jones, and in James Bowman a Ptolemy whose only fault was that his voice lacked meanness of timbre appropriate to the odious character. John Tomlinson's massive bass also commands attention.
Mackerras's conducting is impeccable and the opera is given in clear, creditable English.
(See next review for the video equivalent.)

2010

the ravishing accompaniments to the two big Cleopatra arias amply justify the use by the excellent ENO orchestra of modern rather than period instruments...The full, vivid studio sound makes this one of the very finest of the invaluable series of ENO opera recordings in English.

August 2014

Even if opera in English translation (or baroque opera on modern instruments) doesn't usually grab you, Charles Mackerras's legendary 1979 remains unmissable, not least for Dame Janet Baker's supremely authoritative Caesar, Sarah Walker's stately Cornelia and John Tomlinson's blustery Achilla.

Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto

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