"Caro! - Bella!" (De Niese, Connolly, "Giulio Cesare")

[Enflamedgoddess]

Delightful! De Niese and Connolly perform masterfully.

[BeautyMeansDeath]

Caaaarow... bloody American accents...

[Erikk91]

@BeautyMeansDeath I think that, as an italian, their accents are not perfect, but surely very accurate.

[GoApples]

I really wish that there were more baritones that did this role. I mean, I know that historically it was more the castrati that did these roles, but I feel like there should be that contrast in voice between Cleopatra and Caesar. I just think it would be weird if you were singing about about love and the man was singing in the same octave. Personal preference though. =P

[ThibaudMitter794]

Download the audio from this song at speedyconversion doht cohm.

[SugarTomAppleRoger]

Danielle de Niese is of Sri Lankian heritage and born in Australia. She of course has a wonderful voice.

[rdfbhm]

Does anybody have the lyrics?

[Guichotpresident]

Nope, andreas scholl and inger dam-Jensen for ever

[alanth252]

Terrificly entertaining and unusual adaptation. What a pity the wonderful choral finale wasn`t uploaded.

[cadfalladr]

Oh, this is adorable! And very nicely acted, too!

I wonder, though, just how LOUD it must be for them when two opera singers, who're performing for a live audience, sing right into each other's faces?

[noratranvouez]

thanks marian: i am in glyndebourne ! nora

[kkmzde]

divine music. I prefer the performance with Susan Larson directed by Peter Sellars!

[madziua90]

Daniele de Niese is excellent here. Brava!

[Motetftw]

lol.. the reason there are two women? simple. When Handel wrote this, Cleopatra's role was played by a female, and Cesar's by a Castrati. Since Castrati no longer exist, another woman fills the role in this production to maintain the range of the part. If it was sung by a tenor or bass, the octaves would get displaced and create different harmonies.

[Motetftw]

@Motetftw

For example, with the singers in the same range, there is a possibility to get Major 2nds (nice dissonance) but change Cesar to tenor/bass, and that Major 2nd becomes a 9th instead (not as dissonant as a major 2nd since interval is larger)

[fimetic]

Yes this surely cant be bettered. Connolly is such a wonderful technician. Incidentally I think de Niese is an Australian, born in Melbourne I think.

[tenor185]

@fimetic I think you are right. Ausie born, American trained.

[fimetic]

@tenor185 Thanks, I wasnt too sure. It certainly is not an important matter .but its good to chat to another fan especially a knowledgeable one. Thanks again, f.

[sunidak]

@fimetic

Canadian born

[fimetic]

@sunidak Really, what part of Canada and have you lived there all your life?

[wimniewenhuijs]

I've this video-dvd! Exellent performance.

DVD-OPUS-ARTE. 2 Disc set.

[Guitarman1943]

This opera is wonderful. you can not do it better.

Danielle and Sarah, love you both.

Fan in Norway.

Guitarman1943. You Tube.

[Kievest]

Divine!!! Thank you for this lovely posting!!

[mariandelochs]

You're welcome!

[DoctorSyn2]

If they ever remake Carmen Jones, this is her - and one that can do her own singing!

[tedsler]

loved this finale every single time :))

[A1nduril]

Danielle de Niese is not American. She could be nowhere but Austrian.

[LaMagnifica13]

Sorry A1nduril, what do you mean by your second sentence?

She is an American citizen, born in Australia of Sri-Lankan parents who have Dutch and Scottish lineage.

[coreliandude76]

Sublime performance or both Connolly and De Niese... simply the best I have heard so far.

[delauge]

I thought Cesare is man :D sorry , Sarah Connolly!

[gclef2288]

I am becoming a fan of De Niese......I have always loved Sarah C.

[svejelka]

anyway, their singing sucks...

[LaMagnifica13]

yeah right!

[svejelka]

i think they like pussies both!!!

[LaMagnifica13]

your'e just sick and ignorant

[LaMagnifica13]

And I'm glad you've taken the trouble to read my comments by marking them down! Maybe you'll see how childish you sound.

[dannymaestro]

What a relief to hear two singers with a bit of a body in their vocie. Not the usual beautiful but utterly thin baroque-voices.

[svejelka]

are they lesbians?

[LaMagnifica13]

De Niese is dating Gus Christie and Connolly is married with a child. I think it's called acting my dear..

[mariandelochs]

Some people haven't the foggiest about opera and the many liberties it takes beyond the usual theatrical ones. Forgive them for they know not what they speak of.

[LaMagnifica13]

I shall try but the lesbian remark was a bit silly!

[mariandelochs]

I don't even know why the poster who made the 'lesbian' comment did so - he/she seems to be interested in opera, based on the profile page...but thanks for rebutting a lot of the silliness posted about these great video clips here!

[LaMagnifica13]

Well, the person who made the 'lesbian' comment is clearly besotted! Thank you for posting the clips. It is most interesting to read 'some' of the comments.

[wieck81]

Well, now, let's not generalise shall we? Thank you very much!

[annaenanna]

Well, for those of us that are, this is great fun!!!

[operawhore64]

she is terrible.. she "sighs" into pitch and just bad, bad, bad

[LaMagnifica13]

who's bad?!

[operawhore64]

de Niese is bad.. just terrible.. go to broadway..

[coreliandude76]

LMAO!!! xD O_o

[wieck81]

She is fantastic. Nice nickname you gave yourself y the way.

[Athys700]

scena svilita: giulio cesare è un "pupazzo di cartapesta". Non c'è nessun coinvolgimento a vedere tubare due donne....E nulla di che la voce per di più...

[LaMagnifica13]

Forse il signore si riferische ai "pupazzi di cartapesta" che va a vedere di solito sulla marionetta sotto casa e non all'opera. La voce e l'espressivita' della Connolly e unica e' proprio anche la sua capacita teatrale oltre a quella vocale(veda GRAMMY AWARDS 2008)che hanno fatto dell'opera un masterpiece.

ps.veder tubare due donne puo essere altrettando coinvolgente certo ma non all'opera!!

[armycasa]

Simply wonderful

[rapiddominace]

do you really think Julius Caesar, Cleopatra etc had dirty fingernails? Well maybe sometimes Caesar, but this wasn't medieval Europe you know.

[LaMagnifica13]

You said it mate! Check your remarks from 2 months ago re chain mail etc.

[rapiddominace]

Yeah, but the people with dirt on their fingernails wouldn't be the ones tooting arias. They'd be extras.

[LaMagnifica13]

You didn't make that clear in your desire for an 'authentic' Roman production circa 47 BC, 2 months ago..

[LaMagnifica13]

tooting arias..how quaint.

[Perryvale]

I just purchased the DVD of this performance. I enjoy every minute of it. Recently seen Giulio Cesare, conducted by Rene Jacobs, in Amsterdam. 4 hours of great music performed by great stars.

[mozylover]

This is bliss! Their voices melt into eachother very well. Sarah Conolly is connvincing Cesare; s very handsome woman. De Niese is growing into her own.

[mariandelochs]

Can't disagree with your assessment at all! Thanks for the comment.

[rapiddominace]

ok, this is the opera Julius Caesar...why the hell are their british soldiers in pith helmets walking around? some sort of alternative thing?

[mariandelochs]

Sorry but have you never heard of 'artistic interpretation' and imagination? Recasting stories in times and places outside of the original setting has been done, oh, at least thousands of times now. Shakespeare, Mozart, Haendel, etc. have all been presented in eras other than their own. The British empire ca. late 19th century serves as an excellent metaphor for the Roman empire here. Please inform yourself a bit more about these genres.

[rapiddominace]

I don't think it does as Julius Caesar was set during the Roman Civil War, I just don't see how they could get that out of the british Empire. Furthermore, this is like my favorite opera and I just don't think it's cool when it's not Julius caesar, Cleapoatra and Romans running around.

The artistic impression I'm still waiting to see, is fully accurate representaion. Down to the chain mail on the Roman soldiers and the dirt under their fingernails, instead of silly muscle armor.

[LaMagnifica13]

As a historian you should know that Handel's opera is a Baroque interpretation of a Roman story. The singers and stage in Handel's 1724 production were dressed in Baroque finery with with an allusion to Rome. David Mc Vicar's production merely attempts to draw parallels to the power games world leaders play, the winners and the victims,ergo the British Empire 'buying' Egypt. It is far more interesting to grasp the underlying drama than the literal one.

[rapiddominace]

I will admit though that she is beautiful and the music is as well.

[contessabrilliante]

For the same reason that in another production the setting is at an outdoor swimming pool with 20th century bathing suits and beach towels, and GET THIS_ SUNGLASSES!, a current gun AND an Evian water bottle (I wonder if the firm paid for this advertizing). In another scene of the same production there's a woman (I believe the mother of Sesto) wearing a modern dress, and in yet another, there is a plastic gardenhose that Sesto is holding that could not have existed until recently. So, GO FIGURE.

[rapiddominace]

guess I'm old fashioned, the opera runs so rarely that when it does come around I'd like to actually see Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.

[contessabrilliante]

At one time I also saw it your way. And as "Old fashioned" as you say you are, you ARE seeing Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, only they arrived in a time machine and saw the future (from Cleopatra's time) and decided to dress accordingly. They LIKE updated attire, sunglasses, modern guns, Evian water, and a rubber garden hose (if you saw the other Giulio Cesare videos you knw what I'm talking about) I used to think like you. I updated since. Now try to be openminded. It's more fun!

[rapiddominace]

To each his own, but I'm a professional historian, which is what attracts me to baroque operas in the first place (well, the music too). I like to see it from the original point of view...I like the fact that I'm watching the same thing that, in this case, the George II, the Duke of Cumberland and Sir John Ligonier saw (which I know will never be exact..but whatever). I always find myself interpretting the opera in a historical sense, this kind of stuff just throws me for a loop : )

[LaMagnifica13]

As a historian you should know that Handel's opera is a Baroque interpretation of a Roman story. The singers and stage in Handel's 1724 production were dressed in Baroque finery with with an allusion to Rome. David Mc Vicar's production merely attempts to draw parallels to the power games world leaders play, the winners and the victims,ergo the British Empire 'buying' Egypt. It is far more interesting to grasp the underlying drama than the literal one.

[LaMagnifica13]

In addition, rapiddominace, the literal minded 'historian', I can't think of a single mezzo, much less a counter-tenor who would agree to the disgusting prospect of singing with dirty fingernails-YUK. Besides one's soiled pinkies not being visible to a single bod in the auditorium, it would look gross when signing autographs..

[soganzallein]

Very enjoyable, thank you!

[mariandelochs]

You're welcome!

[pillarofsouls]

I really loved this performance, I saw it at the Royal Albert Hall Proms a while back- great acting, singing and presentation!

[mariandelochs]

Now I'm really envious of you, as I am of anyone who's seen and heard Connolly sing Cesare here! By the way, how difficult - or easy - is it to get a seat to the Proms? (I live in the USA.)

[radubradu]

WOW

thanks a million!!!

you're the best

also this video is wonderful

[mariandelochs]

You're most welcome !

[Motetftw]

Isnt Danielle De Niese Australian? She was born in Australia then moved to America i believe.

[mariandelochs]

Yes, Danielle de Niese is of Dutch-Sri Lankan parentage and born in Australia, and then moved to the US. She's now considered an American, I believe.

[pillarofsouls]

She certainly has a strong australian accent though :P

[mariandelochs]

Does she? Really? I couldn't detect it myself - she sounds so Caucasian-American to my ears!

[pillarofsouls]

Hmm, actually you are completely right! I could have sworn she had an australian accent when I watched the extras on the cesare DVD, my mistake! :)