"Va tacito e nascosto" (Sarah Connolly, "Giulio Cesare")

Superb British mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly as Cesare sings the aria,

"Va tacito e nascosto
quand'avido è di preda
l'astuto cacciator.
E chi è mal far disposto,
non brama che si veda
l'inganno del suo cor."

---

"The cunning hunter moves silently and stealthily
when he is eager for prey.
And he who is disposed to evil
Does not wish the deceitfulness
Of his heart to be seen."

...in a scene shrewdly staged as a choreographed confrontation between the scheming Egyptian King Tolomeo (French counter-tenor Christophe Dumaux) and Cesare. The aria is sung as a bold warning from Cesare to Tolomeo, who has just invited the Roman emperor-general to his palace.

Recitative and aria from the multi-award-winning, famous and fabulous, funny and moving production of Handel's "Giulio Cesare in Egitto" by DavidMcVicar, set in late 19th-century colonial Egypt with the Redcoats keeping Cesare's Roman Empire running.

With William Christie directing the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

From Glyndebourne, August 2005.

If you like this, do go and buy the video and get the entire opera! (It's really worth it!)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Handel
• Giulio
• Cesare
• Sarah
• Connolly
• Va
• tacito
• nascosto
• William
• Christie
• Glyndebourne
• Orchestra
• Age
• of
• Enlightenment

[tedsler]

<whispers in his own head: don't drop the tray, don't drop the tray, keep the rhythm, don't drop the tray, oh shit coming up to the bit when he puts two glasses back on the tray, oh please put them in the middle, please, please, please....phew it worked tonight as well> :)

[mariandelochs]

@tedsler

Ha, ha, ha! (Self-same thoughts ran through my head, too, in this scene!)

[meyerhoff31]

Unforuneatly no, but they are making a CD of this performance so we will have to wait patiently for it to be released.

They did broadcast last weeks performance of 'The Dream of Gerontious' from Dresden in which Sarah sang the Angel beatifully, so Thanks BBC3 for that.

[mariandelochs]

@meyerhoff31 Nice!

YouTube member melodiaavis has uploaded the more recent Dream of Gerontius with Sarah Connolly as the Angel.

Apparently YT doesn't allow URLs to be posted in comments, so you'll have to go check out melodiaavis's page for his uploads of the work.

[meyerhoff31]

Oh to be at the Wigmore Hall tonight!! Sarah singing Handel arias with Rosemary Joshua, what a feast

[mariandelochs]

@meyerhoff31  Ahhh! Shucks! Isn't it being broadcast on BBC 3?

[carlyn65]

Andreas Scholl, power? Indeed, Mariondelochs, Connolly sings rings around Scholl and is more masculine to boot!

[pc0sence]

Sarah Connoly seems more macho than Andreas Scholl, and her blue-dressed counterpart looks as if he actually is toasted. As if his empirial ambitions are drained and no more, while Connoly acts like Stewie Griffin.

Andreas Scholl looks like a pacafist who is forced to wear the uniform of a German Military Police.

[fimetic]

I also have this DVD and I agree with you it is marvellous. However if the opera has a weakness it’s in this aria, it tends to ‘flounder’ ever so slightly I feel, the tempo could be just a fraction quicker. Ms Connolly still sounds perfect, she always does, but I think all would be improved for being a just little quicker.

[Howlingwell]

sarah's ornamentation is compelling and the tempo while slow is quite suited to her talent. this is certainly one of Handel's greatest operas. Right up there in history with Don Giovanni and Coronatione di Poppea, in my humble opinion. How does one not feel grateful to experience this gorgeous art in their life?

[DiVeronica]

I LOOKED EVERYWHERE FOR AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION! THANK YOU!

[52jacobina]

Sarah can do no wrong.This is wonderful.So menacing.

[Natopera]

Egypt was under French rule for much of the 19th century, it is Egypt, but a French influenced Egypt, not France.

[Pre114]

the costumes suck in this production, British and French, come on.

[rjewles]

Sublime. Cannot ask for better.

[Thelunit]

@HerrWarja Yes, at first I thought it was too slow but now it makes sense to me...more of the threatening stalking nature of the rivalry

[vivsters96]

I personally found the dance routines in this entire production to be quite tasteless. Almost all of Cleopatra's arias, including V'adoro, included fully coreographed dance numbers, complete with backup dancers, hip thrusts, but shakes, and cheerleader style toe-touches. I'm all for modern interpreations of operas, but please stay true to Handel's masterpiece.