Julius Caesar follows his enemy Pompey to Egypt. There, Pharaoh Tolomeo (Ptolemy) greets the Romancommander with Pompey’s severed head. However, this welcoming gift only infuriates Caesar, and the wheels of revenge and intrigue begin to turn. Cleopatra, the sister of Tolomeo, covets the Egyptian throne and ensnares Caesar in order to realise her political goals. At the same time she allies herself with Pompey’s widow Cornelia and her son Sesto who, intent on revenge, are plotting the pharaoh’s destruction. The latter, however, is not idle. Caesar makes a heroic attempt to free Cleopatra, who has in the meantime become his lover, from the clutches of her brother. Succeeding in this, and with Pompey’s death avenged by the killing of Tolomeo, Caesar can celebrate with Cleopatra … the new Queen of Egypt.
Opera in three acts by Georg Friedrich Händel Performed in Italian with German surtitles
Running time 3 hours 40 minutes
Premiere 13 Dec 2009
Staging: Jens-Daniel Herzog
Set Design and Costume Design: Mathis Neidhardt
Lighting Design: Stefan Bolliger
Choreography: Ramses Sigl
Choir: Christof Bauer
Dramaturgy: Stefan Ulrich
