Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Ouverture
2. Act 1. Scene 1. Coro. Qual' un giorno
3. Act 1. Scene 1. Recitativo. Basta, Amici, fin quì
4. Act 1. Scene 1. Aria. Sopportar non devo in pace
5. Act 1. Scene 2. Recitativo. Verrò in breve, fellon
6. Act 1. Scene 2. Aria. Vidi io stessa, Oh Dei
7. Act 1. Scene 3. Recitativo. Sommi Dei
8. Act 1. Scene 3. Aria. S'avvien che si posi
9. Act 1. Scene 4. Recitativo. Numi! Deluso son, ma pur la frode
10. Act 1. Scene 5 / Scene 6. Aria. Quel che lontano
11. Act 1. Scene 7. Recitativo. Pera Cesare dunque
12. Act 1. Scene 7. Aria. Strappare al nemico
13. Act 1. Scene 8. Recitativo. Ecco la mia crudel
14. Act 1. Scene 8. Aria. Tra le procelle assorto
15. Act 1. Scene 9. Recitativo. Barbara, vanne pur
16. Act 1. Scene 9. Aria. Guerrier forte non perdona
17. Act 1. Scene 10. Recitativo. Deh Madre!
18. Act 1. Scene 10. Aria. Se c'abbandoni
19. Act 1. Scene 10. Recitativo. Son risoluta e vo' marir
20. Act 1. Scene 11 / Scene 12 / Scene 13. Aria. Parto qual navigante

Disc 2:

1. Act 2. Scene 1. Recitativo. Già scoperti noi siam
2. Act 2. Scene 1. Sinfonia
3. Act 2. Scene 2. Recitativo. Sull'orme del furor, perfidi, vengo
4. Act 2. Scene 3. Sinfonia
5. Act 2. Scene 3. Recitativo. Cedi l'acciaro
6. Act 2. Scene 4 / Scene 5. Aria. Se mi vuole oppresso il fato
7. Act 2. Scene 6. Recitativo. Con quai risolti
8. Act 2. Scene 7. Recitativo. Cleopatra mio Ben, godi che vinti
9. Act 2. Scene 7. Aria. Sento mio dolce amore
10. Act 2. Scene 8. Recitativo. Lentulo amico, e chi può mai d'amore
11. Act 2. Scene 9. Aria. Anime innamorate
12. Act 2. Scene 10. Recitativo. L'apporsi
13. Act 2. Scene 10. Aria. Cortese il cielo
14. Act 2. Scene 11. Recitativo. Non t'affliger di più
15. Act 2. Scene 12. Aria. L'ombra amata del mio sposo
16. Act 2. Scene 13. Recitativo. Dimmi, come potesti, delle genti
17. Act 2. Scene 14. Aria. Santi Numi che vedete
18. Act 2. Scene 15. Recitativo. Al fin il mio desio
19. Act 2. Scene 16. Recitativo. Ah non fia ver, che Arsace
20. Act 2. Scene 17 / Scene 18 / Scene 19 / Scene 20. Aria. All'armi, al cimento

Disc 3:

1. Act 3. Scene 1. Recitativo. V'abusate
2. Act 3. Scene 1. Aria. Voglio strage, e sangue voglio
3. Act 3. Scene 2. Recitativo. Amico, con fortezza
4. Act 3. Scene 2. Aria. Qui regnai, quì vinto ancora
5. Act 3. Scene 3. Recitativo. Io prigioniera al Tebro?
6. Act 3. Scene 4. Aria. Ah dirti non posso io
7. Act 3. Scene 5. Recitativo. Ecco al fin dagli amanti
8. Act 3. Scene 5. Aria. Ben vedo ch'un'alma
9. Act 3. (Scene 6) Scene 7. Recitativo. Ecco di tua perfidia
10. Act 3. Scene 8. Aria. Sentir che me chiama
11. Act 3. Scene 9. Recitativo. Ah Numi! che sarà?
12. Act 3. Scene 10. Aria. Colla frode chi pretende
13. Act 3. Scene 11. Recitativo. Mi concede, Regina al fine il cielo
14. Act 3. Scene 11. Duetto. Ecco mio Ben l'istante
15. Act 3. Scena ultima. Recitativo. A liete feste
16. Act 3. Scena ultima. Lieta viva la sposa amorosa

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #410318 in Music
• Released on: 2003-06-10
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Import, Original recording reissued

Customer Reviews

A Joy To Hear!
Rene Jacobs conducts RIAS-Kammerchor & Concerto Koln, a period-instrument orchestra, in a recording of the opera Cleopatra & Cesare by Carl Heinrich Graun (c1703-1759).

"Any composer would have been proud to compose Cesare's heart-stoppingly vengeful last-act aria "Voglio strage", and any mezzo (or castrato or countertenor) would be happy to sing it. Here, Iris Vermillion is spectacular, and elsewhere in the opera she's as heroic, romantic, and colorful as our hero ought to be. René Jacobs clearly believes in this music and his Concerto Köln plays splendidly, embellishing the instrumental lines with vigor. This opera is a joy to hear, and this performance is excellent." (Robert Levine, classicstoday.com)

The vocal soloists on this recording:

Janet Williams - Soprano (Cleopatra)
Iris Vermillion - Mezzosoprano (Cesare)
Lynne Dawson - Soprano (Cornelia)
Robert Gambill - Tenor (Tolomeo)
Ralf Popken - Counter Tenor (Arsace)
Jeffrey Francis - Tenor (Lentulo)
Klaus Häger - Baritone (Achilla)
Elisabeth Scholl - Soprano (Cneo)
Maria-Cristina Kiehr - Soprano (Sesto)

Beautiful Music, Not to be Missed
I'm a big fan of Baroque opera and felt relatively safe making this purchase. And I wasn't disappointed. If you like Handel's and Vivaldi's operas you'll probably enjoy this as well. The orchestration and singing are excellent. Rene Jacobs does a fine job as usual. It's out of the catalogue now so grab a copy if you can!

Addendum 04/02/2008: I just finished listening to this opera for the first time in a while and was struck by just how wonderful it is. In fact it surpasses by far most of Vivaldi's operas and is up there with the best of Handel's. And I'm a big fan of Handel. There is not a weak link in the whole piece. As I write this there are two available copies, one used and one new, the new one well worth the $52 being asked for it. It's three disks of listening pleasure. Don't deny yourself. Just buy it!!

Cleopatra & Cesare depicts an era.
Ch.H. Graun's opera Cleopatra & Cesare is not for everyone. It doesn't contain the show stopping arias and choruses that early-to-late Romantic opera relishes. The opera, however, reflects the refined, one may say French taste of the court of Frederick the Great and the influence of Frederick himself.

The music is elegant, refined, and reflective. Graun has the ability to create lovely, easily listenable lines of melody with a sometimes sad, but almost always plaintiff quality.

Yes, there is a staid quality to the opera, but one can easily define that quality as reflective and somewhat sombre... yet the music is always lovely, courtly, as it were.

If an opera lover of this period's music seeks to venture outside the narrow limits of the traditional Mozartian repertoire, and seeks to expand his listening pleasure, I can strongly recommend this opera and the music of Carl Heinrich Graun. I think the listener will be pleasantly surprised and rewarded for his efforts.

All the technical aspects of this recording are of the highest caliber. The singers gratify the most demanding opera lover's standards. All in all, this opera reveals another aspect of the diversity of Italian opera of the classic period. A genuine jewel. Enjoy. BW