Search - Handel, Orchestra of Patras, Petrou :: Giulio Cesare Hwv 17

Another Winner from Petrou & the Orchestra of Patras

Nicholas A. Deutsch | New York, NY USA | 03/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having given us the best recording yet of Handel's TAMERLANO, conductor George Petrou and his Orchestra of Patras have come up with another winner with this version of GIULIO CESARE IN EGITTO, another of the composer's operatic "trifecta" of 1724-5. (The third was RODELINDA.) Once again, Petrou has made his studio recording following stage performances, so we have the best of both worlds; once again, he's put together a team of singers with no weak links. Add to that his near-impeccable conducting and the fine playing, plus an uncut and unadulterated text (original 1724 version with no interpolations), and despite ample competition this version goes straight to the head of the list.

Four of the singers are familiar from past Petrou Handel operas: the indispensible mezzo Mary-Ellen Nesi (a superb Sesto), mezzo Irini Karaianni (a fine Cornelia), baritone Tassis Christoyannis (a powerful Achilla) and Petros Magoulos (the minor role of Curio). Mezzo Romina Basso makes an imperious Tolomeo, and the two "stars," sopranos Emanuela Galli (Cleopatra) and Kristrina Hammerstroem (Cesare) are both excellent artists. The countertenor Nikos Spanatis (mis-listed as a bass on the back cover) is fine in the small part of Nireno, thankfully not padded out with a superfluous aria (as in the Rene Jacobs recording). As always with Petrou, there's a real sense of team-work and common purpose that's immensely satisfying.

I haven't kept up with the flood of performances of this most popular of Handel's operas, both on CD and DVD, and I'm sure other listeners will have favorite singers and recordings. But if you want a consistently vivid and beautiful audio version that does full justice to this inspired and entertaining opera, I strongly recommend Petrou."

Caveat Emptor

David A. Boxwell | Annapolis, MD, USA | 07/16/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Petrou's third recording of a complete Handel opera promises much, but unlike his two previous efforts (a peerless TAMERLANO which actually respects Handel's innovations and a solid ARIANNA), Petrou goes off the rails here. And what a shame! It's note complete, which is good. A few of the singers can be numbered among the best who've recorded the opera. BUT: There is too much liberty taken in ornamenting the B-sections of arias, to the point where coherence is lost in an anachronistic re-writing of the melody, which is something we thought went by-the-by when Richard Bonynge stopped recording Handel. Another problem is extremes of tempo: fast arias are frequently sung too fast, while slow arias are protracted beyond structural integrity. Consider Cesare's great set piece in Act II: "Se in fiorito." The singing by Hammarstrom is superb (she is far superior to Mijanovic for Minkowski in terms of vocal skill and characterization, and even better than the terrific Jennifer Larmore for Jacobs), but the repeat of the aria degenerates into silliness in the cadenza, and Handel's violin part is milked for a gaseous comic "turn". Galli's soprano is darker-hued and sappier than the soprano competition (i.e. Schlick), and she is capable of wonderful moments, but the great Act III lament/revenge statement ("Piangero la sorte mia") is turned into hash at the end. Nesi is a vivid Sesto, and seems to color her voice on this outing like a male falsettist. It's an interesting performance, but she's not as easy on the ear as Von Otter for Minkowski. Bernarda Fink's Cornelia for Jacobs remains unequalled, but the two basses, Magoulis and Christoyannis are among the best in their roles. This should be nobody's only recording of GC: for all its flaws (including a weak Sesto and a Cleopatra lacking sensuality), Jacobs is still the one to have."