Giulio Cesare

Giulio Cesare in Egitto (English: Julius Caesar in Egypt) is an opera in three acts with music by George Frideric Handel. The Italian libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym. It was based on an earlier libretto written by Giacomo Francesco Bussani. The opera was written for the Royal Academy of Music.

Giulio Cesare
by George Frideric Handel
Handel in 1733
Genre	Opera seria in 3 acts
Native title	Giulio Casare in Egitto
Translation	Julius Caesar
Other title	Julius Caesar in Egypt
Librettist	Nicola Francesco Haym
Language	Italian
Premiere	Royal Academy of Music London, England 20 February 1724

The opera was first performed in London on 20 February 1724. It was a success. It was performed again in 1725, 1730, and 1732. It was also performed in France and Germany.

Giulio Cesare was not performed in the 19th century. Many people had forgotten all about it. It was not until 1922 that the opera was performed again. Since then, it has been performed around the world. It is Handel's best opera. It is known simply as Giulio Cesare.

Roles

• Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) - alto castrato
• Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt - soprano
• Tolomeo, her brother and husband, King of Egypt - alto castrato
• Cornelia, widow of Pompey - contralto
• Sesto, her stepson - soprano
• Achilla, Tolomeo's General - bass
• Curio, a praetor, Caesar's General - bass
• Nireno, Cleopatra's and Tolomeo's servant - alto castrato

Other websites

• Aria Database - Giulio Cesare arias and operatic roles database
• Metropolitan Opera Broadcast: Giulio Cesare Archived 2007-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
• Opera Today - Giulio Cesare Libretto
• Giulio Cesare, Opera in Three Acts on IMDb. Filmed at Glyndebourne Opera House in East Sussex, England. Opus Arte Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine DVD, released 01/04/2006, contains behind the scenes extras.