Julius Caesar in Egypt (HWV 17), Italian: Giulio Cesare in Egitto, is an opera composed by Georg Friedrich Handel for the Royal Academy of Music in England in 1724. It was first performed on 20 February 1724 at the King’s Theatre in London’s Haymarket. The opera was a success on its first performance, was frequently revived by Handel in his subsequent opera seasons, and is now one of the most frequently performed Baroque operas. The story is based on historical events during the Roman Civil War of 49-45 BC. In a colorful story which take place in Egypt, we explore a series of exotic locations. We can see not only political intrigues and power struggles, but also a intense love story between the Roman emperor Julius Caesar and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

The libretto, based on an earlier libretto by Giacomo Francesco Bussani (1640-1680), which was orchestrated in 1676 by Antonio Sartorio (1630-1680), was written by Nicola Francesco Haym (1678-1729).

The opera is co-produced with the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava and the Czech Ensemble Baroque.

Cast:

Conductor.
Directed by Jiří Nekvasil

Performing:

Andreas Scholl (Caesar) – countertenor
Valer Sabadus (Sesto) – countertenor
Franko Klisović (Tolomeo) – countertenor
Doubravka Novotná (Cleopatra) – soprano
Monika Jägerová (Cornelia) – alto
Adam Plachetka (Achilla) – baritone