This title from the season of the Opera of Tenerife is a semi-staged show taking place on Wednesday 12.

 

The Island Council of Tenerife and the Council of Santa Cruz have joined forces to stage the baroque opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt) by George Frederick Handel at Teatro Guimerá. Details of the show were announced by the Island Council’s Minister for Culture, José Carlos Acha; the councillor for Culture, Santiago Díaz, and the artistic director of the Auditorium of Tenerife, José Luis Rivero.

This semi-staged show, which is taking place on Wednesday 12 at 19:30, features the Italian orchestra Accademia Bizantina and six international solo singers, conducted by Ottavio Dantone, along with the staging vision of the director Bruno Berger-Gorski, who has prepared several surprises for the audience.

José Carlos Acha acknowledged that “there is a great operatic tradition in Tenerife, as people have been able to enjoy it for a long time, first at Teatro Guimerá and subsequently at the Auditorium, so this is like a homecoming.” “Opera is the most complete spectacle that you can offer, and in the past life unfolded over the course of an opera, with breaks to eat and shows lasting for several hours, and this is partly what we are bringing back in this experience, by providing a cocktail in the interlude.”

Santiago Díaz stated that he was “very happy to bring back opera to Teatro Guimerá, so I want to thank the Island Council for their work to make it possible.” “Memories from many years ago come to mind of when I fell in love with opera at this theatre, so we are delighted to add this baroque opera to the programming”, shared the councillor, who encouraged the audience to get carried away and enjoy the show.

José Luis Rivero expressed a “shared happiness to fulfil a dream that we have had for a while which was to include a baroque opera in the Opera of Tenerife season, as a style and as a different aesthetic approach to what we have been doing.” The artistic director of the Auditorium of Tenerife explained that this show brings back the original voice types, with three countertenors in a “first-rate international cast that has just made its debut in Italy.” Also, Rivero states that “Teatro Guimerá is the best venue for offering the acoustics that this opera needs.”

War and power are the stars of this story in which the Roman emperor falls in love with Cleopatra on his rise to the throne. The show has received a warm welcome from the public, which has practically filled the theatre already.

Led by Dantone on the harpsichord, the show will feature twenty musicians from the Accademia Bizantina on stage and six singers: the countertenor Raffaele Pe as Julius Caesar, the soprano Marie Lys as Cleopatra, the countertenor Filippo Mineccia as Ptolemy, the contralto Delphine Galou as Cornelia, the countertenor Maximiliano Danta as Sextus Pompey and the bass Davide Giangregorio as Achillas.

A Canarian team was involved in the production of the stage show by Bruno Berger-Gorski, with stage design by Carlos Santos and costumes for extras by Leo Martínez, and a regular collaborator of the Opera de Tenerife, video producer Pedro Chamizo, who will also be in charge of lighting.

The surprises in this performance of this opera in three acts by Handel which premiered in 1724 include fifteen extras and a solo singer for the interlude, the Canarian countertenor David Batista, who will sing for 30 minutes and perform an aria from Rinaldo by Handel.

The story is set during Julius Caesar's Egyptian campaign (48-47 BC) and is based on the librettist Nicola Francesco Haym's interpretation of the historical events of the Roman Civil War. As Caesar pursues Pompey, a Roman general who has become his rival, he travels to Egypt, where he meets and falls in love with Cleopatra. Her younger brother, King Ptolemy, hastily executes Pompey, incurring the wrath of many. Cornelia and Sesto, the wife and son of the murdered general, seek revenge for his death.

At the same time, Cleopatra, Ptolemy's sister, is determined to claim the throne of Egypt, which is rightfully hers as the firstborn. She seeks the support of Caesar, who is smitten and backs her ambitions. Amid cheers from the people and warriors, Cleopatra is crowned queen, and she and Caesar exchange vows of loyalty and love.

Tickets are on sale priced at 20 Euros and there are several discounts available. The Auditorium of Tenerife and Teatro Guimerá are offering the following discounts for this show, which can only be obtained at the Teatro Guimerá ticket office: -50% for members of large families with special status, job seekers with DARDE and people under the age of 30; -25% for members of general large families, people with disabilities at a level of 33% and over, and people over the age of 65; -15% for holders of the Friends of the Guimerá Card and passholders of the Opera of Tenerife for the 2024-2025 season. The ticket office of Teatro Guimerá is open Tuesday to Friday from 11:00 to 13:00 and from 18:00 to 20:00, as well as one hour before the start of the show.

The Ópera de Tenerife is an initiative organised by the Island Council through the Auditorio de Tenerife with the collaboration of the ICDC (Regional Institute of Cultural Development) and the INAEM (National Institute of Performing Arts and Music). On this occasion, the Autonomous Department of Cultural Affairs of the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is also collaborating.