Search - George Frideric Handel, René Jacobs, Concerto Koln :: Handel - Giulio Cesare / Jacobs

An essential - victoire, c'est la mot

Harpsichord Fan | 06/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Words fail me as to this recording. Finally there is a good and young mezzo-soprano who can finally handle (no pun intended) the true complete score of Giulio Cesare. Jennifer Larmore does full justice to the part -- listen to her in soliloquy-type accompagnamentos as "Alma del gran Pompeo" and "Dall'ondoso periglio...Aure, deh, per pieta," and at the same time be astounded by her vocal acrobatics in such arias as "Quel torrente" and touched by her sensitivity and pureness of tone in "Caro...bella." I guarantee that you will be moved to tears by the end of this remarkable 4-CD set. Barbara Schlick is not my favourite Cleopatra (that is and will forever be Beverly Sills), however her voice handles with amazing agility and unsurpassed beauty the part of the seductive Egyptian queen -- she is not as visibly flamboyant as Sills, but her voice is more calming and young rather than near-startling. This innocence of tone and interpretation really works for such arias as "Non disperar," but in more pensive and introverted arias like "Piangero" I sometimes feel that something is lacking. Nonetheless, she is excellent. Bernarda Fink is a true mother and sufferer as the best Cornelia on record, and the young Swedish beauty Marianne Rorholm's Sesto takes no lesser place. In such arias as "Svegliatevi nel core" and "La giustizia," I finally I hear a Sesto that convinces me that s/he is an upstart young man -- a skillful singer is one that convinces you that they are the only person for the part, n'est-ce pas?The Tolomeo, Derek Lee Ragin, is part of the reason for buying this recording, as he was the first countertenor I really came into contact with. Some find his voice white in timbre, but who is a better threatening young Egyptian king than he? No one does such a convincing job. Furio Zanasi is one of the new generation of Italian singers getting into the Early Music act, and it's really about time he should get more recording contracts, because he does an excellent job as Achilla, adding nuance to the role that I am sure no one has ever done before on any recording. In the lesser roles of Nireno, Dominique Visse does a commendable job, although I find his mezzo a bit annoyingly androgynous at times. Olivier Lallouette does justice to the small part of Curio. He makes himself known, even though his part is by far the smallest. Neither of them actually has arias, although a supplementary one for Nireno is included on the 4th CD (originally written later by Handel for a later production, I think).Overall, Rene Jacobs has earned his stripes as a musical/musicological genius and must be remembered for both his coordination of this recording and his amazing command of period style as heard through the orchestra. I am also amazed by the interpretation of the continuo, which I have never heard as colourful in any other opera recording. I hope that others will someday follow suit."

A tough choice... Jacobs or Minkowski?

Leila | SPAIN | 08/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have owned Minkowski's about a year, maybe more. Being a huge fan of Handel's operas&oratoriums, this opera moved, thrilled and got me high from the first time I heard its music. Minkowski was a great election for the first time ever hearing. Now I've grown deeply in love with the composition I thought it was the time to give it a try with beloves Larmore in the cast. So I bought the Jacob's. To start with, the tempos are quite more on the slow side, and some time too much on the quick side (the virtuosity of Concerto Köln has to be shown), while Minkowski tempos are more balanced. I like better Larmore (Jacob=J)as Caesar, though Marijana Mijanovic (Minkowski=M)does a superb one but her voice is too "countertenor-like" when compared whith Larmore's. But I could be biased because I do not like countertenors. Even being this the case, I like Mijanovic voice quite a lot though more androginous, and I liked her very much in her Caesar performance. I find Cornelia better represented in Bernarda Fink (J) than in Charlotte Hellenkant (M)-she is too wheezy for me, and though Marianne Rorholm (J)misses the words in the opening aria of Sesto, I find her more credible as Sesto than Anne Sofie von Otter. Sorry, because I like von Otter A LOT, but she's too on the lighter side when singing Sesto while Rorholm's voice conveys more character. I like best Magdalena Kozena's (M) voice as Cleopatra than Barbara Schlick, though the latter is the winner when it comes to expressivity. To my despair, there are also countertenors in the Jacob version... The two Ptolomeos are ok by me, since I don't like countertenors... Nireno, well, I couldn't say and I won't bother.
BUT THE BASSES!!! Well, Minkowski's choice is by far the better. Alan Ewing is a powerful Achilla in the whole range, and his lower notes are powerfull and audible as well (Aria Tu sei cor di questo core, for example), while Furio Zanasi (J) has the spirit but lacks the same power as Ewing, being compared in the same aria. Same could be said about the Curio character, Jean-Michel Ankaoua (M) surpasses Olivier Lallouette (J), though both of them are really good.
Don't get me wrong, it is really a tough choice. The ideal would be a mixture of both!!! Can you buy both?"