An angel passes.
On stage, the mimes have just brought the two display cases in which Giulio Cesare and Ptolemy, alias Gaëlle Arquez and Iestyn Davies, must take their places.
Everyone holds their breath.
With a sure gesture, conductor Harry Bicket has just given the start signal to the
continuo.
Thumbs up, he gives a discreet but kind look to Misha Cliquennois.
From the horn, it begins with the suppleness of a faun the motif in repeated quavers of the famous
Va tacito.
This formidable
da capo
aria from César, in Act I, is the bravura piece of all the horn players tackling Handel's score.
With its semiquaver vocalizations, which require an unusual length of breath.
This permanent dialogue with the voice of the soloist (depending on whether the role of Giulio Cesare is played by a mezzo, as here, or by a countertenor), which requires a sense of sui generis ornamentation.
And above all these perilous leaps of fifth or sixth, supposed to pass like a letter in the post...
This article is reserved for subscribers.
You have 88% left to discover.
Do you want to read more?
Unlock all items immediately.
TEST FOR €0.99
Already subscribed?
Log in