Customer Reviews

Handel - Julius Caesar / Treigle · Sills · Forrester · Wolff · NYCO · Rudel

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Beverly Sills, in her autobiography "Bubbles", acknowledges that the role of Cleopatra was the turning point of her career, after years of "utility singing" at City Opera. This recording documents the wildly successful 1966 production that turned Sills into an "overnight sensation." Though Handel purists today may find fault with its lack of completeness or style, the recording remains important not only for Sills' radiant Cleopatra, but also for capturing the late Norman Treigle's characterization in the title role. Treigle was particularly riveting in the theater and puzzlingly under-recorded. Other roles in the recording are filled lavishly with Beverly Wolff, Spiro Malas, and the great contralto Maureen Forrester. But again, this recording is Sills' show all the way. Her rendition of "V'adoro, pupille" is one of the great moments in opera--any opera--with golden trills in abundance and a finely spun, luminous legato that halts your own breath. No wonder crowds were on their feet at City Opera when this production was first mounted, cheering loudly and long--and deservedly so. It's a disc no collection should be without, and at a friendly price, to boot!

Although this opera was originally written for a castrati in the title role, and is usually sung today by a counter-tenor or a mezzo-soprano, American bass-baritone Norman Treigle takes the role and runs with it in this 1966 (recorded in 1967) N.Y. City Opera production. This is Handel's most performed opera today, and while critics may debate whether or not it is his "best", it is full of glorious music.
And it is superbly sung. The supporting case is uniformly excellent. Mezzo-soprano Beverly Wolff is an ardent and fiercly vengeful Sextus, Canadian contralto Maureen Forrester has a wonderful richnes of tone as Cornelia, Pompey's widow, bass Spiro Malas is appropriately malevolent as Cleopatra's brother Ptolemy, and baritone Dominic Cossa brings tremendous musicality to the small role of Achillas, Ptolemy's military advisor.
And then there is the young Beverly Sills in the role of Cleopatra, the second of three roles that made her a superstar. (She had come to the opera-going public's attention in The Ballad of Baby Doe, but this is the role that put her into the top ranks, followed by Massenet's Manon which enshrined her up with Sutherland and Caballe.) She and Treigle simply tear up the stage, and their duets are just remarkable, making you think that if Handel had heard this version he would have rewritten the role of Caesar for a bass-baritone!
National Public Radio's "Curious Listener's Guide to Opera" lists it as the best available recording of the opera, and while purists might disagree, it's certainly my favorite. Well worth buying.

When I discovered this recording was available, I immediately ordered it. As a fan of Sills, I had read all about the hoopla over her City Opera 'discovery' as Cleopatra and wanted to hear what the fuss was all about. Was it warranted? Oh yes, indeed it was...and then some.

This 2 disc set recorded in 1967, one year after her tiumphant debut in this role, needs to be in every serious opera lovers collection. I can truthfully say I have NEVER heard a soprano, who at the peak of her powers, so completely dominates a recording with such impeccable understanding of the Baroque and sings with constant beauty and purity of tone.

While all performers excel here under the marvelous direction of conductor Julius Rudel, make no mistake, it is Beverly Sills whose performance leaves her listener limp with delight and in awe of such a force of nature.

While most operaphiles are familiar with the aria 'Piangero la sorte mia' (which Sills delivers with great control and warmth of tone, displaying a fiery B section capitulating with some lovely ornamentation), it is her Second Act aria, 'V'adoro, pupille', which caused me to repeat the aria and sit there, amazed.

This listener has NEVER heard a finer example of the Baroque aria. Sills lush and bright soprano lovingly deliver arching and limpid phrases such as no other soprano has done as effective. This simple but achingly lovely melody is suddenly transformed to a showpiece; Sills incredible trills and exciting ornamentation making it all the more poignant and absolutely mesmerising.

Why Mr. Treigle was never invited to debut at the Metropolitan is a puzzlement. Certainly no bass had a warmer and secure a tone, impeccable coloratura (all the more impressive as most basses are clumsy at best) and 'jump off the disc' excitement. How fortunate are those people who heard this man on the stage! Partnered with Sills, one hears immediately why these two were such a formidible team in opera after opera.

Certainly there is no slacking in the fine singing of Maureen Forrester and Beverly Wolff as well. No surprise here as to why these two singers had successful years with City Opera and elsewhere. Spiro Malas as Sextus is a treasure vocally.

Under Rudel's direction, all the glories of the Baroque are pulled out in a lovely reading of the score, tasteful and appropriate ornamentation and a chorus whose blend is both exciting and surprising.

I urge any listener; opera fan or those just curious about Sills role here, or folks who have an affinity for the Baroque, to purchase this invaluable recording. One will see most quickly, why there has been (thankfully) a resurgence of interest in the Baroque works and their seemingly simple, yet complex beauty and texts.

Handel wrote a masterpiece when he wrote "Giulio Cesare". This Baroque opera is stunning in its beauty and drama. Handel's exquisite melodies are showcased in the numerous arias found in this opera. Special mention has to go to the very melodious opening Sinfonia and the warlike Sinfonia on Track 15, CD 2. Notice how the harpsichord imitates the sound of swords clashing. It is perfectly descriptive of a battle. Handel wrote some gorgeous music for this opera and the New York City Opera Orchestra performs it marvelously. The orchestra players are especially brilliant playing the fast music. It is too bad that not all the arias Handel wrote are included on this recording. And it is quite sad that Julius Rudel cut out the B and repeat A sections of some of the arias that are included. I would have liked the love duet between Caesar and Cleopatra conducted faster. It should also have been given complete instead of cut.

The singers are top-notch, if not totally ideal. Norman Treigle is a fantastic Caesar. He acts very well. However, there are two things missing from his performance. First, he cannot handle the coloratura like an expert. He tries to trill and execute runs, but the results are poor. Second, his Italian diction could be clearer. Maureen Forrester is an excellent Cornelia. She has fine Italian diction, but like Treigle, her coloratura is seriously lacking. Even so, she performs her arias with dignity and convincing drama. Beverly Wolff makes a great Sextus. She acts passionately and is altogether great. Again, like Treigle and Forrester, she cannot handle the coloratura comfortably. These complaints shouldn't diminish from the excellent work that those three singers do on this recording. The rest of the cast is great. Dominic Cossa must be mentioned. His portrayal of Achillas is superb, both in drama and in diction.

The star of this set is Beverly Sills. She is absolutely the best Cleopatra bar none. Her arias are astoundingly delivered. She, like all the other singers, is very involved in the recitatives. Let's talk about her arias. In "Non disperar; chi sa" and "Da tempeste in legno infranto", her excellent coloratura ability shines. The coloratura is used to express happiness. Her runs and trills "laugh". Her trills must be given mention. They are so tight and perfect that no one could do them better. Sills' staccati are also superb. Notice in "Da tempeste" how her staccati sound happy. Also, in that aria, Sills hits a series of lightning-fast staccati that the orchestra then tries to outdo. Amazing! Cleopatra's seduction aria "V'adoro pupille" is performed magnificently. Sills sings the first A section and the B section of the aria with mostly legato. She is enchanting with those legato lines! Then, she sings the repeat of the A section with trill embellishments. Here, her trills sound truly golden and they express Cleopatra's rapture perfectly. Sills herself sounds like she is in a love-induced trance. Finally, we move on to the two lament arias. Sills really shows us her stuff in these two arias. In "Piangerò la sorte mia", she shows two emotions, sadness and vengeance. She sings the first A section with a smooth legato that brims with drama. When the B section comes, she launches into fiery coloratura, cursing her evil half-brother Ptolemy, the Egyptian king. When the A section returns, Sills uses trills to suggest weeping and the shaking of Cleopatra's voice. In my opinion, the finest aria in the entire opera is "Se pietà di me non senti". This aria requires sustained high piano singing and this is exactly what Sills delivers. She is amazing with the legato lines of the first A section. Already, she injects the words with lots of emotion. A few minutes into the aria, she strings together four trills on a single breath. In order to accomplish such a feat, a singer must have a very reliable trill. Sills definitely does. In the B section, more trills are added. In the repeat of the A section, Sills' voice becomes darker and even more pathos-laden. Sills adds many trills and how effective they are! The final note that she sings will go straight to your heart.

This recording is a superb testament to Handel's opera and the artistry of Beverly Sills.

The world is diminished with the news of the death of Beverly Sills. Her impact on American Opera will never be matched. She was an Original, a woman of great beauty, creative intelligence not only in her vocal production, pyrotechniques, and range, but also in her commitment to acting and drama, bringing a far larger audience to the opera houses with both her gifts as an artist and her compassion for those experiencing opera for the first time. Her performances were full of life, uncannily beautiful in singing and deportment, and aided by her own insistence on the use of supertitles above the proscenium arch, a gracious bow to her audiences to draw them into the stories of the works. La Sills had the intelligence to make her final bow on the stage when signs of vocal weakness began to show. Everything she did was form her heart and her brain and her humanity.

Finding a work to call a signature role for her wide repertoire is difficult, but for most of us her creation of Cleopatra as captured in this recording of Handel's 'Giulio Cesare' is a zenith. She sparkles and stuns with her effortless singing and embellishments and she is accompanied by her old friends Norman Treigle, Spiro Malas, Michael Devlin, Maureen Forrester, Beverly Wolff, Dominic Cossa and of course, Julius Rudel who with Sills brought the New York City Opera to importance.

Yes, the recording is old and now dated and now that Handel's jewel is a frequently performed opera in the original style (countertenors, original instrumentation, etc), the performance does sound a bit florid and thick. But Beverly Sills shines brightly and this is the great selfless star we will all remember. Grady Harp, July 07

This set of Giulio Cesare by Handel is obviously an adaptation
of the original opera - according to purists this version com-
mits just about every musical capital sins possible but with
such gorgeous music and stupendous singing all I can say is
WHO CARES !!! Beverly Sills is quite simply spectacular as
Cleopatra - the role that made her a star - and I love having
a bass-baritone in the role of Caesar it makes the character
far more believable especially in the hands of the imposing
Norman Treigle. The rest of the cast is excellent with special
mention to Maureen Forrester and Beverly Wolff. Julius Rudel's
conducting is elegant and lively and the sound good and atmos-
pheric. Highly recommended.

I highly recommend this for even those who profess to hate opera. Enchanting, technically perfect. For those who love Handel, this is a "must have" for your CD library.

This 1967 recording stars Beverly Sills, Norman Treigle, Maureen Forrester and Beverly Wolff, all in fine singing voice in the classic masterpiece of the Baroque Era- Julius Caesar by George Frederic Handel. During the 60's, a revival of ancient masterpieces and rare Baroque "treasures" were being presented on stage. At the New York City Opera, conductor Julius Ceasar and the principal soprano Beverly Sills, delivered the best operas new and old, among them Julius Caesar, which launched Sill's career and put her on the map as a top soprano of her time, right up there with all the great singers of her day- Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Montserrat Caballe and others. Baritone Norman Treigle plays the lead role of Julis Caesar who was a close friend of Sills and sung opposite her in many operas including Offenbach's Tales Of Hoffman and Manon. These were the glory days for both Treigle and Sills, and the New York City Opera was at its peak.

Julius Caesar is Handel's most famous work for opera. The music is typical of his concerti and chamber style works, with trumpet fanfares and softer arpeggios and melodies for the love scenes to contrast the pomp of royalty. Julius Caesar falls in love with Cleopatra, who is disguised as Lydia, a servant. Singing the role of Cornelia is Maureen Forrester, a talented contralto and the role of Sextus by the mezzo soprano Beverly Wolff. Of course, Beverly Sill's Cleopatra is the highlight of this recording. The melancholy aria "Piangero" is full of lyrical beauty and sadness that reduces one to tears. Sills delivers the moment of pathos perfectly. Her first aria is coloratura magic and her high notes seem to touch the stars, they are fast, perfectly paced and in tune with the Baroque music. Norman Treigle is taking over a role that originally went to castrati, but he is doing a fine job. He is a remarkable bass baritone as well as actor. This recording is a must have for fans of Sills and for fans of Handelian opera. An English version of this opera is available with Janet Baker as Julius Ceasar and Valerie Masterson as Cleopatra. It's an equally excellent recording.

When I originally bought this recording in the 70's, it was my first introduction to Baroque opera and I've been hooked ever since. In the passing years, my feeling about this recording have changed somewhat, however.
First, the good news: Sills is an incredible Cleopatra, probably the best on record. True, she doesn't follow what would now be considered historically informed performance practice (who did in the late 60's?), but she brings the glory of Handel's music to the forefront, and her acting, as usual, is impeccable. This was the role that made Sills famous, and it is easy to see why.
But, sadly, the recording is a product of its time. By today's standards it is horribly old-fashioned: the castrato parts have been re-assigned to baritones, the score has been heavily cut, and, of course, modern instruments are used. Despite this, Rudel's conducting is fine, although not as good as that of Leppard, another early Handel revivalist.
The cuts in the score are, perhaps, to be expected: I doubt too many audiences of the time, completely unused to Baroque opera, could have sat through the original 4 hour version. But Rudel's transferance of Cleopatra's "Piangero" from the third to the first act is not only inexplicable it is almost unforgivable; not only does it make no dramatic sense in its new place, it robs Cleopatra of her greatest, nearly-tragic moment (true tragedy was not allowed on the operatic stage in the 18th century, except in France)at the climax of the opera. Fortunately, Rudel's change never became "standard".
Although this recording gives us a rare opportunity to hear the magnificent and immensely underrated Norman Treigle, this music was not written for a baritone and doesn't sound quite right in its transposed form. Although Treigle tries heroically, some of the more florid passages seem to elude him. True, even today, audiences have trouble accepting a female Julius Caeser, but the music just sounds better when sung by a mezzo* (at least, to my ear). The famed countertenor, David Daniels, recently sung the role here at the LA Opera, perhaps this is the best compromise.
Kudos also go to the lovely Canadian mezzo, Maureen Forrester, always superb in Handel. She should be better represented on CD.
On the whole, this recording is important for capturing Sills at the height of her powers in one of her greatest roles. But it should NOT be the only recording of this opera on your shelf. If you like this recording, I suggest also getting Rene Jacobs' brilliant Harmonia Mundi recording, which presents the work more-or-less as it would have been heard in Handel's time, uncut, and with the castrato roles sung at their original pitches.

*Of course, the music wasn't written for a mezzo, either, but unless some young, male singer is willing to make the tremendous sacrifice of his manhood (and I wouldn't sanction this, of course), a mezzo or countertenor Caeser is the closest we'll ever be able to get to the voice for which the part was originally intended.

Oh, I cannot express the beauty of this cd! Sills and Triegle are absolutely ravishing! It's true that Handel wrote the opera with a mezzo in mind for Cesare, but I personally prefer a bass in the role. This is one of the many inauthenticities of the opera, if you are looking for a truly baroque version, I would recommend the equally excellent Cesare with Jennifer Larmore in the title role. But so passionate is this recording, so involved are the singers, you may put all reservations aside. There are many moments in the cd where I choke up, ABOVE all during Cleopatra's aria "Piangero' la sorte mia", which remains my all time favorite aria in the repertoire. The orchestra also plays ina very sensual romantic manner. This is perhaps most famous for being the opera that made Sills a star, and she gives us ample justification for that. For Handel and Sills fans everywhere.