Julius Caesar and Cleopatra by Händel, Sib 03 Nov 2018, Minn (2018/2019), Surmast Direttur Ayrat Kashaev, Dmitry Kryukov, Boris Pokrovsky Chamber Stage of the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow, Russia

The heart of baroque opera beats in the rhythm of the 21st century Handel's operas are rightly considered the pinnacle of baroque operatic art. They have everything: a sharp plot intrigue, bright and strong characters, and wonderful music, marked by the inspiration of a genius and the true skill of a great composer. The beauty and virtuosity of the vocal parts and the grace of Handel's orchestra have always made his operas attractive both for theaters and for spectators. However, performing Handel's masterpieces is not an easy task. In Russia, it is extremely rare to dare to stage these pearls of baroque musical theatre. Today in Moscow you can hear only one opera by the composer - "Julius Caesar and Cleopatra" - and only on the Chamber Stage named after B.A. Pokrovsky Bolshoi Theater of Russia. The opera "Julius Caesar and Cleopatra" (original author's title "Julius Caesar in Egypt") was written and first staged almost 300 years ago. Its premiere, carried out with unprecedented scope and pomp at the Haymarket Theater in London, took place on February 20, 1724 and was a triumphant success. It was the sixteenth of the forty operas by the great Georg Friedrich Handel, which today is considered the most perfect creation of the composer in the genre of Italian "serious opera" (opera-seria). The plot of Julius Caesar, like most operas by Handel and his contemporaries, is based on pseudo-historical conflicts. The action develops slowly and is subject to the musical laws of the baroque theater. The main place in it is occupied by the soloist. Especially for brilliant singers, composers composed the most diverse arias: with dizzying virtuosic passages, with slow soulful melodies, with passionate emotional themes - it's impossible to list everything. Handel's operas today remain a generous gift to all connoisseurs of vocal art and musical gourmets who appreciate the amazing beauty and harmony of Baroque music. Boris Alexandrovich Pokrovsky's production is unique in that, in his interpretation, a baroque opera is not at all a "concert in costumes". This is a dynamic and vibrant performance, where the soloists do not just sing, but "live" on the stage: they love and hate, weave intrigues and conquer empires. On the Chamber Stage, the heart of baroque opera beats in the rhythm of the 21st century.