Product Details

• Actors: William Christie, Sarah Connolly, Angelika Kirchschlager, Danielle De Niese, Christophe Dumaux
• Directors: David McVicar, Robin Lough
• Format: Box set, NTSC, Anamorphic, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled
• Language: Italian (DTS 5.1), Italian (PCM Stereo)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Opus Arte
• DVD Release Date: May 16, 2006
• Run Time: 233 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000ESST6U
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,826 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Giulio Cesare" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

HANDEL:GUILIO CESARE - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars That's Entertainment! Glyndebourne style, May 22, 2006

By 

Mike Birman (Brooklyn, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Giulio Cesare (DVD)

First performed 20 February 1724 and frequently revived thereafter during Handel's lifetime, Giulio Cesare, like all of his operas, fell into obscurity for 2 centuries. Supposedly, they were uninteresting to a modern audience and unperformable by modern performers. Recent scholarship proved the absurdity of this mistaken viewpoint. Handel's operas are joining his oratorios in the repertory with Cesare probably most performed along with Serse.

Cleopatra made a star of Beverly Sills. I think it may do the same for the uncommonly beautiful Danielle de Niese whose stunning appearance and rich soprano fill the Glyndebourne stage with that ineffable quality called 'starpower'. Glyndebourne and Opus Arte must agree because they showcase Ms. de Niece in a 30 minute documentary on disc 1 called 'Danielle de Niece and the Glyndebourne experience'! In it, appealing to the under 30 audience is explicitly discussed. Every aspect of this staging of Cesare is created with that mission in mind. Another documentary film included in the set is 'Entertainment is not a dirty word'. If you can deal with all this, you will enjoy this 3 disc DVD immensely. I found this performance funny, entertaining, inventive, a little glitzy (in a good way) and well sung. On the negative side, I found it slightly weaker dramatically but with some absorbing tragic singing from Angelika Kirschlager as Sesto and Patricia Bardon as Sesto's mother Cornelia. Sarah Connolly makes a fine Cesare. Christopher Maltman is a standout Achilla. The cast is quite good and they appear to be enjoying themselves. In a 4 hour opera that is probably helpful.

William Christie is a superb conductor of Baroque opera. He has been joining his talents to productions that emphasize a more modern sensibilty. Some purists wonder where the real heart of Baroque opera is when singers cavort onstage in slinky Flapper dresses and designer sunglasses. I can live with it if the music is well performed: as it is here by the superb Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. But even open-minded laissez-faire opera fans (like me) would like to see a real Baroque opera performed as written one day. This is a vastly entertaining production. The costumes are beautiful. The stagecraft and sets are brilliantly conceived. There is a wonderful wave machine with 19th Century ships-of-war at the rear of a Baroque-style stage. A harvest moon with stars glimmers in the sky. It is quite lovely. And the music by Handel is pretty good, too.

This 3 DVD set is NTSC all regions shot in 16/9 true anamorphic widescreen in high definition. It looks beautiful. Sound is recorded in LPCM stereo and 5.1 DTS Digital Surround Sound. Both are crystal clear with DTS providing terrific immediacy and presence to the sound. You feel like you're there. Subtitles are in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. Menus are in English. There are numerous extras: including the films mentioned, an illustrated plot synopsis, a cast gallery, production and rehearsal photos. The 48 page enclosed booklet is glossy, beautiful and informative. Total running time of the DVDs is 305 minutes. Another superb Opus Arte release.

This is a wonderfully entertaining modern production with a great Baroque opera at its heart. If you can deal with the anachronisms and glitz, you will love it. If you're a purist, be forewarned. Strongly recommended.

Mike Birman

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This "Caesar" Rules, May 27, 2006

By 

Paul Van de Water (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Giulio Cesare (DVD)

Musically, this recording of "Giulio Cesare" is surely the best on either CD or DVD. Until now, my two favorites have been the New York City Opera-Beverly Sills-Norman Treigle production from 1966-67 (which I saw in person) and Rene Jacobs' 1992 recording on Harmonia Mundi. No longer, however, does one have to sacrifice drama for completeness and original pitch. Conductor William Christie, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and a superb Glyndebourne cast prove that historically informed performance can be even more exciting and absorbing than the shortened, transposed versions from the early days of the Baroque revival. Sarah Connolly (as Caesar), Danielle de Niese (as Cleopatra), and the other singers and instrumentalists equal or exceed their predecessors in all respects. (The horns in the opening and closing choruses will just blow you away--pun intended.)

The production portrays Caesar as a 19th century British imperialist, but the conceit is worn lightly and is generally successful. (I can't explain the anachronistic dirigibles, destroyers, and ocean liner that appear in the harbor of Alexandria at various points.) In the documentary that accompanies the performance, director David McVicar acknowledges that some of Cleopatra's stage action is inspired by Bollywood films, but even these scenes do not seem inappropriate. Remember that other serious Baroque and classical operas, such as Serse and Don Giovanni, contain humorous elements.

The two protagonists could not be bettered, either vocally or dramatically. Sarah Connolly dominates the stage, moves with a masculine swagger, and makes a most effective Caesar. And it's no wonder that the older man falls for the beautiful, funny, flirtatious, and phenomenally talented 26-year old Danielle de Niese. Patricia Bardon (as Cornelia, widow of Pompey) and Angelika Kirschlager (as Sesto, Pompey's son) carry the tragic element as they work to avenge the murdered king.

This DVD of "Giulio Cesare" joins the Handel honor roll, which includes Christie's "Hercules," Christophe Rousset's "Serse," and Trevor Pinnock's "Tamerlano."

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful entertainment, and more!, May 1, 2006

By 

Merksamer Israel - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Giulio Cesare (DVD)

This is the fourth "Cesare" I watched. It is the most complete of all performances on DVD - the music lasts nearly 4 hours, an hour more than the Baker recording. Sound and picture are excellent, sounds like a good cd.
William Christie conducts the wonderful score with expertise and flexibility. No need to praise the orchestra - they are among the best.
We are in an age of countertenors, but the role of Cesare is given to an alt - Sarah Conolly. Her very good singing does not erase memories of Janet Baker, but her acting is more persuasive. All the singers are experts, and Cleopatra (Danielle de Niese) outshines them all. She leads a production of not only high artistic value, but also a great entertainment.
For this the credit must also go to he stage director McVicar and the choreographer.All in all, a first rate evening at the opera.