Handel - Giulio Cesare / Jacobs [IMPORT]

George Frideric Handel (Composer), Rene Jacobs (Conductor), Concerto Koln (Orchestra), Jennifer Larmore (Performer), Bernarda Fink (Performer), Derek Lee Ragin (Performer), Furio Zanasi (Performer), Dominique Visse (Performer), Barbara Schlick / Marianne Rorholm (Performer), Olivier Lallouette (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Jennifer Larmore, Bernarda Fink, Derek Lee Ragin, Furio Zanasi, Dominique Visse, et al.
• Orchestra: Concerto Koln
• Conductor: Rene Jacobs
• Composer: George Frideric Handel
• Audio CD (December 11, 1992)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Import
• Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
• ASIN: B000027O71
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,201 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #22 in	Music > Imports > Opera & Vocal
  #53 in	Music > Opera & Vocal > Historical Periods > Baroque (c.1600-1750)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Ov - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs

2. Act 1, Scene 1. Cesare E Curio: Viva Il Nostro Alcide - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs

3. Act 1, Scene 1. Cesare E Curio: Aria: Presti Omai/Scene 2. Cornelia, Sesto E Detti - Jennifer Larmore

4. Act 1, Scene 3. Achilla, E Detti: Aria: Empio, Diro - Jennifer Larmore

5. Act 1, Scene 4. Curio, Sesto E Cornelia: Aria: Priva Son D'Ogni Conforto - Bernarda Fink

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Act 1, Scene 9. Cesare, Tolomeo Ed Achilla: Cesare, Alla Tua Destra/Aria: Va Tacito/Scene 10... - Derek Lee Ragin/Jennifer Larmore

2. Act 1, Scene 11. Cornelia, Sesto, Ed Achilla: Aria: Tu Sei Il Cor - Furio Zanasi

3. Act 1, Scene 11. Cornelia, Sesto, Ed Achilla: Son Nata A Lagrimar - Bernarda Fink/Marianne Rorholm

4. Act 2, Scene 1. Cleopatra, E Nireno: Eseguisti, O Niren - Barbara Schlick

5. Act 2, Scene 2. Nireno, E Poi Cesare: Sinf - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Act 2, Scene 8. Curio, E Detti: Che Sento?/Aria: Se Pieta - Barbara Schlick

2. Act 2, Scene 9. Tolomeo, Cornelia, E Poi Sesto: Aria: Belle Dee/Scene 10. Achilla, E Detti - Derek Lee Ragin

3. Act 2, Scene 11. Sesto, E Cornelia. Aria: L'Aura Che Spira - Marianne Rorholm

4. Act 3, Scene 1. Achilla: Aria: Dal Fulgor - Furio Zanasi

5. Act 3, Scene 2. Tolomeo, Cleopatra: Sinf - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Act 3, Scene Ultima. Cesare, Cleopatra, Curio, Nireno, Sesto E Cornelia: Sinf - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs

2. Act 3, Scene Ultima. Cesare, Cleopatra, Curio, Nireno, Sesto E Cornelia: Caro/Bella - Barbara Schlick/Jennifer Larmore

3. Act 3, Scene Ultima. Cesare, Cleopatra, Curio, Nireno, Sesto E Cornelia: Ritorni Omai - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs

4. Appendix: Aria: Qui Perde Un Momento - Dominique Visse

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

This is one of Handel's most powerful scores--in which history, wonder of wonders, is hardly mangled at all--and Jennifer Larmore's singing in the title role, heading a strong cast, makes this version a must-own for anyone with an interest in this music. Conductor René Jacobs has produced what amounts to a critical edition of Handel's score and has found the singers to do it justice. Barbara Schlick is a strong, believable Cleopatra, and Derek Lee Ragin's slightly whiny timbre is well-suited to the character of Ptolemy. Jacobs leads this dramatically engaging performance with thoughfulness and energy. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TOP OF THE LINE, March 25, 2001

By	MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

"Julius Caesar" is one of my very favorite operas and I have been waiting not-so patiently for a recording as complete and first-rate as this one. The cast is perfect, headed by "the" Caesar of our time: Jennifer Larmore. I have seen Larmore perform the role at the Metropolitan Opera and this recording actually catches her strong, fervant, romantic and absolutely astonishingly sung perfomance perfectly. The sound, as usual with the Harmonia Mundi label, could not be bettered. The Concerto Koln, led by Rene Jacobs (a period instrument specialist) plays with the passion and precision that is absolutely necessary for this work.

Until this 4CD set was released, one had to do with an abridged version, of which the one on 2 discs starring Beverly Sills must be given first place because of her astounding "Cleopatra." (This is the role, remember, that catapulted Sills to international fame & even onto the cover of "Time" magazine!) Also on a Decca re-release of Handel's "Alcina" (another superb Handel opera) there are about 45 minutes worth of excerpts from "Julius Caesar" with Marilyn Horne triumphant as "Cornelia."

What an exciting opera this is! But let me warn first-time Handel opera listeners: it is very, very long--over four hours of baroque vocal music, so if you're not sure, why not buy the excerpts CD of this recording and after you fall in love with the piece as I did, you can give that CD away as a gift and buy the complete version for yourself. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable - finally, October 11, 2002

By	Frank Paris (Beaverton, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a big Charles Mackerras fan, and generally love his performances. So when I found myself less than enchanted with his recording of "Giulio Cesare" I blamed it on the music, and more or less forgot about the work, letting the album languish on my shelf for years without listening to it. Then I recently bought the "New Penguin Opera Guide" (a book to die for, by the way) and started reading through all the Handel operas, since I am a huge fan of these works (and his oratorios). Imagine my surprise to learn that "Giulio Cesare" is considered one of Handel's finest operas! I thought to myself, "Don't I have that opera?" Looking through my shelves of Handel, sure enough, I rediscovered my Mackerras recording and played it. Nope. Didn't like it, so decided to search for another recording, and the only other one of note is this Rene Jacobs recording, so I quickly ordered it from Amazon. From the first few bars, WOW! What have I been MISSING? I just LOVE this Jacobs performance. Now THAT's the Handel I know and love, I said to myself. This is a very exciting, idiomatic performance and can only wonder what happened to Mackerras when he turned his baton to it. Highly recommended.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential - victoire, c'est la mot, June 28, 2000

By	Harpsichord Fan - See all my reviews

Words fail me as to this recording. Finally there is a good and young mezzo-soprano who can finally handle (no pun intended) the true complete score of Giulio Cesare. Jennifer Larmore does full justice to the part -- listen to her in soliloquy-type accompagnamentos as "Alma del gran Pompeo" and "Dall'ondoso periglio...Aure, deh, per pieta," and at the same time be astounded by her vocal acrobatics in such arias as "Quel torrente" and touched by her sensitivity and pureness of tone in "Caro...bella." I guarantee that you will be moved to tears by the end of this remarkable 4-CD set. Barbara Schlick is not my favourite Cleopatra (that is and will forever be Beverly Sills), however her voice handles with amazing agility and unsurpassed beauty the part of the seductive Egyptian queen -- she is not as visibly flamboyant as Sills, but her voice is more calming and young rather than near-startling. This innocence of tone and interpretation really works for such arias as "Non disperar," but in more pensive and introverted arias like "Piangero" I sometimes feel that something is lacking. Nonetheless, she is excellent.

Bernarda Fink is a true mother and sufferer as the best Cornelia on record, and the young Swedish beauty Marianne Rorholm's Sesto takes no lesser place. In such arias as "Svegliatevi nel core" and "La giustizia," I finally I hear a Sesto that convinces me that s/he is an upstart young man -- a skillful singer is one that convinces you that they are the only person for the part, n'est-ce pas?

The Tolomeo, Derek Lee Ragin, is part of the reason for buying this recording, as he was the first countertenor I really came into contact with. Some find his voice white in timbre, but who is a better threatening young Egyptian king than he? No one does such a convincing job. Furio Zanasi is one of the new generation of Italian singers getting into the Early Music act, and it's really about time he should get more recording contracts, because he does an excellent job as Achilla, adding nuance to the role that I am sure no one has ever done before on any recording.

In the lesser roles of Nireno, Dominique Visse does a commendable job, although I find his mezzo a bit annoyingly androgynous at times. Olivier Lallouette does justice to the small part of Curio. He makes himself known, even though his part is by far the smallest. Neither of them actually has arias, although a supplementary one for Nireno is included on the 4th CD (originally written later by Handel for a later production, I think).

Overall, Rene Jacobs has earned his stripes as a musical/musicological genius and must be remembered for both his coordination of this recording and his amazing command of period style as heard through the orchestra. I am also amazed by the interpretation of the continuo, which I have never heard as colourful in any other opera recording. I hope that others will someday follow suit.