Love, lust and buckets of blood add up to an operatic masterpiece

Every now and then the stars align perfectly to produce a masterpiece. And so it is with Handel’s Julius Caesar, often considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of the baroque master’s operas.

Julius Caesar was commissioned by a group of well-heeled music lovers, many of them landed gentry. The subscribers of the Royal Academy of Music, founded in London 1719, couldn’t get enough of the style of performance known as opera seria (“serious” opera), and paid handsomely to ensure a continuous supply of works for their amusement.

Soprano Samantha Clarke poses on part of the set being prepared for the upcoming Julius Caesar.Credit: Wolter Peeters

“It was never meant to be a financial success,” says Pinchgut Opera’s artistic director Erin Helyard. “It was about civic prestige and a reflection of the investors’ love of art. It was a unique moment in baroque opera history where you had an engaged audience committed financially and artistically. You had a crack orchestra and extraordinary house composers, of which Handel was only one. It was a combination that produced what I call a golden period in baroque opera history.”

And one of the great jewels of that period is Julius Caesar, to be staged by Pinchgut this month.

The narrative, set around the Roman Civil War (49-45BC), is a compelling tale of lust, love and revenge firmly placing Cleopatra at the centre of the action. It is also particularly bloody.

“It’s got one of the first onstage deaths,” says Helyard. “Usually in the conventions of opera seria deaths happened backstage, so as not to offend the propriety of the audience. But in Julius Caesar, at the opening, a bloodied head is brought out to the great dismay of the opening characters.”

However, despite the regular eruptions of violence, Helyard points out there are plenty of lighter moments.

“It is funny. We think of opera seria as serious opera, but there was also a playfulness. We think audiences at the time all sat there very serious. But they absolutely laughed.”

Director Neil Armfield has particularly enjoyed exploring the character of Cleopatra.

“Handel gives Cleopatra opportunities to open up a personality that is rich, deep and generous but always powerfully playful,” he says. “That has been a revelation for me.”

“Sam is a unique artist. She keeps every single word freshly alive for an audience.”

Erin Helyard

Cleopatra has long been associated with several illustrious Australian performers, particularly Yvonne Kenny (1994) and Emma Matthews (2006).

In the upcoming production the role will be sung by Australian/British soprano Samantha Clarke, whom Helyard describes as “one of the greatest Australian singers of her generation”.

“Sam is a unique artist,” he says. “She keeps every single word freshly alive for an audience and she has an extraordinary presence on stage as well as a formidable technique. I know people will say after they come to this production that they were there when Sam first took the role of Cleopatra, because she’ll be doing it all over Europe.”

Julius Caesar, City Recital Hall, Angel Place, from November 21

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