If you've seen any of the scores of movies featuring Caesar and Cleopatra, you're going to go into this opera at least knowing some of the basics, although Handel and librettist Nicola Francesco Haym go off on a number of tangents that never exactly made it into the history books. Cleopatra's royal sibling Ptolemy is pretty much the bad guy of this piece, plotting to kill Caesar as he also connives to take over as sole Egyptian pharaoh. Among elements that may not be quite so familiar to history buffs are a subplot concerning Pompey's widow Cornelia, and another sideline where Cleopatra dons a disguise to initially seduce Caesar.

This is an opera filled with unexpected voice casting, including countertenors in at least two major roles. Unfortunately Christophe Dumaux's Tolomeo (Ptolemy) is vocally one of the weaker links in the production, with virtually no projection and a wobbly vibrato that makes him sound like Bert Lahr's Wizard of Oz Cowardly Lion sped up to 78 rpm some of the time. He is wonderfully effusive in this over the top role, and does some astounding acrobatics (movement is incredibly important in this production, and in fact you may think you've wandered into some alternate universe Cirque du Soleil production at times), but his singing left me cold.

Luckily the rest of the cast is superb. Connolly is surprisingly effective in her role, but it's de Niese (whom filmgoers may remember from her cameo in Hannibal, the sequel to Silence of the Lambs) and especially mezzo Patricia Bardon as Cornelia who shine in this effort, bringing vocal mastery and performance nuance to their roles. De Niese is wonderfully flirty, almost like an Egyptian Carmen at times, and it's easy to believe her wiles completely overcome Caesar. Bardon has a mellifluously expressive voice that is both languid and incredibly forceful, bringing beautiful poignance to her portrayal.

Glyndebourne has become one of the most prestigious summer opera festivals in the world, and they do this production proud. Though McVicar reimagines several elements of the opera, no doubt to modernize it for today's audience, there's a sly, winking quality to it all that shouldn't offend purists too much. A lot of viewers may be surprised at how wackily funny Giulio Cesare is in this outing, and that's no doubt due to McVicar's lack of pretention in staging it. The period instruments of The Orchestra of the Enlightenment under the assured baton of William Christie are especially brilliant. Handel's heraldic brass writing, which will be familiar to even casual classical listeners due to the ubiquity of The Royal Fireworks, finds full flower in Giulio Cesare. If some of the recitative is less than inspired, it at the very least offers some unusual continuo accompaniment, notably by the theorbo, a relative of the lute.

This is a fun and frolicksome production that manages to play the dramatic scenes perfectly straight while having a good bit of sport in other bridging segments. Full of some beautiful costumes, and minimal though effective sets, Giulio Cesare in Egitto is just accessible enough not to scare away newcomers to opera, but more than challenging enough to satisfy longtime devotees of the art who want to hear technically difficult singing handled with ease.

The Blu-ray

Video:
Giulio Cesare arrives with an AVC codec and 1.78:1 OAR in a very sharp transfer, with beautifully saturated color and exceptional detail. Even in the dimly lit scenes, contrast and black levels are top notch. This is one of the best Opus Arte BD releases I've seen recently.

Sound:
Both a PCM 5.0 and 2.0 mix are available, and both are excellent. The only drawback is some occasionally hard to hear solos, as in the case of Dumaux, which I lay mostly at the feet of the performer not projecting well enough. Separation and fidelity are superb, and the orchestral accompaninment is unbelievably crisp and dynamic. Subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German.

Extras:
Two way above average featurettes (both in HD) are offered, one called "Entertainment is not a Dirty Word" talking about the development of the piece with a lot of the cast and production staff, and the other, very inviting, one with Danielle De Niese showing us around her cottage in Glyndebourne and then taking us on a tour of the Festival itself. There are also photo galleries and an illustrated synopsis.

Final Thoughts:
Surprisingly spry and self-effacing, this Giulio Cesare is largely delightful, highlighted by excellent performances by Connolly, de Niese and Bardon. The physical production is sumptuous, if restrained, the movements are often hysterical and the orchestra is fanstastic. What more could you ask for? Highly recommended.