Product Details

• Actors: Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, Jeffrey Gall, Drew Minter, Susan Larson, James Maddalena
• Directors: Craig Smith, Peter Sellars
• Format: Digital Sound, Classical, Color, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: Italian (DTS 5.1), Italian (PCM Stereo)
• Subtitles: Chinese, English, French, German, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Decca
• DVD Release Date: November 14, 2006
• Run Time: 237 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000F7M7V8
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,149 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Peter Sellars's daring and novel adaptation of Handel's opera Giulio Cesare

previously released on Laser Disc and VHS is now available on DVD!

Though sung in the original Italian, Giulio Cesare is relocated in the

unspecified future in the Middle East. Cesare is the unquestioned leader

of a major world power who visits the Empire's number one global

trouble spot. Ptolemy is a 14-year-old "self styled local potentate"

and Cleopatra his beautiful and spoiled elder sister.

Included in this DVD are the English subtitles supplied by director Peter

Sellars himself, specifically created to match and enhance his personal vision of this opera. CAST LIST JEFFREY GALL Giulio Cesare SUSAN LARSON Cleopatra MARY WESTBROOK-GEHA Cornelia LORRAINE HUNT Sesto JAMES MADDALENA Achilla DREW MINTER Tolomeo CHERYL COBB Nirena HERMAN HILDEBRAND Curio Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden Craig Smith, conductor Directed by Peter Sellars

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, February 27, 2007

By 

Bruno L. Garzon "adriannepieczonkafan" (Chicago,IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handel - Giulio Cesare (DVD)

I do not know what all you other reviewers find wrong with this production. I find that it is the best Giulio Cesare I have heard to date. I know that most of the problems with this production stem from Peter Sellers Controversial directing of the stage and modernization. I find it actually charming.

And now for the singers! Jeffery Gall (I'll admit) is not the world's most ideal Countertenor, but he pulls the role of Julius Caesar very well. His chemistry with Cleopatra is amazing. His best aria vocally is "al'lampo dell'armi". Susan Larson (Sellar's Fiordiligi in Cosi and Cherubino in Figaro) as Cleopatra left me absolutely speechless. There is absolutely no glitches in her performance. It would be hard to find just one aria that she excels in. She witty banter with Nirena is very funny and well-acted. Mary Westbrook-Geha as Cornelia is wonderful. Her acting and singing combine to make a very enjoyable performance. Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson (Elvira in Sellar's Don Giovanni) as Sesto was beyond amazing (as with Cornelia.) The act one duet ("Sonata a Lagrimar") almost made me faint. Drew Minter's Countertenor Tolomeo was good but not great. His singing was acceptable but his acting was a little stinted. James Maddalena (Sellar's Guglielmo in Cosi and The Count in Figaro) as Achillas was wonderful. No other words can describe how good it was. His chemistry with Cornelia was heated. Cheryl Cobb's Nirena was greatly acted and sung to the extreme. I was SO glad that she got her often-cut 2nd act aria ("Che perdu un Momento) and she sings it to a T. Hermann Hildebrand (Sellar's Antonio in Figaro) was good as the small role of Curio.

The Conductor Craig Smith sets very good tempos and never exceeds what Handel has written. His singers don't seem labored by him at all. The orchestra is a good solid Baroque orchestra. Peter Sellar's Directing is very interpolative. He uses a lot of "song-and-dance" numbers/ interpretative dance in many arias and duets

My verdict: If you have to have one Giulio Cesare- get this one.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beg to differ..., October 31, 2006

By 

San Franciscan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handel - Giulio Cesare (DVD)

To my mind, this is the only one of Peter Sellars' productions which has aged well. I have it on LaserDisc, and it is one of the few operas my opera group asks to see again and again. It's clever and doesn't take itself too seriously in the wrong places. It can be incredibly moving; the Sesto-Cornelia duet is a heartbreaker. The singing is solid to exceptional throughout, no mean feat considering two countertenors are involved.

Part of the problem is that Sellars re-used this concept less successfully in future productions (e.g. Theodora). If you've seen too many such productions, the military concept may seem tired. But turn back the clock and pretend you are in the early 90's, and you may find that this production makes an ancient story seem very immediate.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good acting and singing, April 3, 2007

By 

Steven Guy (Croydon, South Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handel - Giulio Cesare (DVD)

I bought this along with the Malgoire DVD of "Agrippina", which features some fine singing, but less than inspired stage directing and costumes.

The orchestra in this production of Giulio Cesare is my only cause for concern. The orchestra doesn't sound crisp, clear and clean to me. It even sounds a little stodgy in places. However, this is a minor quibble, because the singing and acting are first class.

I won't add a lot more to the positive reviews here, except to say that this is a very entertaining and interesting production. Sometimes, I love what Peter Sellars does (Theodora, for example) and, sometimes, I think he goes off the rails. Giulio Cesare is one of Sellars triumphs, in my opinion.

Jeffrey Gall, dressed as an American president, is an excellent Caesar and he was in fine voice when he made this recording. Lorraine Hunt makes an excellent Sextus, she left us far too early in life! Requiescat in pace. Drew Minter makes a very interesting and entertaining villain with his portrayal of Ptolemy. I have always liked his voice, too. I think Mr. Minter is involved in teaching these days? The entire cast is good and there are no weak links.

I am all for productions of Baroque opera which exhibit conjectural Baroque production standards, as in the Niquet DVD of Lully's Persée, for instance. However, I am open to a modern and imaginative approach to production if the results are as good as this.

Those who like this DVD should investigate the Christie/Sellars production of Handel's "Theodora", if they haven't already, and the more recent Christie/LAF DVD or Handel's "Hercules", which has become a real favourite of mine.

I only whish a better director had been brought into the Malgoire production of Handel's "Agrippina", which musically, is very good.