Handel: "Giulio Cesare in Egitto" Quiz

Answer: Achilla and Curio

Achilla and Curio are the only parts that were originally written for basses. The rest of the male roles were created for castrati (and, in Sesto's case, for a soprano in travesti), and, in modern times, have been sung by mezzos, by sopranos, by countertenors or (especially in the mid-20th century stagings) by basses and baritones.

Answer: Lidia

Cleopatra spends a lot of time dressed up as "Lidia", the queen's lady-in-waiting.

Answer: In the garden

Cornelia is sent to work in the harem garden. Allegedly, it's until her marriage to Achilla, but in fact Tolomeo wants to keep her for himself.

Answer: Her hair

Cesare seems extremely fascinated by Cleopatra's hair. "And your hair [binds] hearts", he tells her at their very first meeting. Likewise, during the final scene, he says: "Who has ever seen more beautiful hair?"

Answer: Hercules

"Long live, long live our Alcide!" sings the chorus. Alcides is one of the alternative Greek names for Hercules.

Answer: Curio

In an often-cut scene, Curio offers to marry Cornelia right after her husband's severed head is brought onstage. Naturally, Cornelia is shocked and refuses him. The next one in line is Achilla, and then comes Tolomeo. Cesare has no romantic interest in Cornelia.

Answer: Sesto, swearing vengeance for his father

After Cornelia breaks down in tears, feeling her life is meaningless without Pompey, Sesto composes himself and firmly says that lamenting doesn't achieve anything and he will be planning vengeance. Then the aria follows.

Answer: Cleopatra to her antagonistic brother Tolomeo

The aria can be summarised as "Don't despair: even if you don't get the kingdom, you can still find love". Cleopatra sarcastically sings it to her brother, whom she deems unfit to rule.

Answer: Achilla to Cornelia

"Tu sei il cor di questo core", to use the original text, is Achilla's first aria with which he tries, unsuccessfully, to seduce Cornelia.

Answer: Venus

The aria is Cleopatra's prayer to Venus, begging her to give her enough graces to enchant Cesare. (Incidentally, Sesto never gets disguised as a woman in Handel's opera: that happens to him in an earlier opera by Antonio Sartorio based on the earlier version of the libretto).

Answer: Icarus

In his aria "Domeṛ la tua fierezza" ("I will tame your pride"), he compares her to "rebellious Icarus" whose wings he is going to clip. He sings it after he defeats her in battle.

Answer: Sesto

Sesto, with the help of Achilla's troops, sneaks into the palace through a secret passage. He surprises Tolomeo when the latter is in his harem, and kills him.

Answer: doesn't appear in the opera

No, Handel's opera doesn't feature Cleopatra's nurse, though Sartorio's opera does, giving her the name Rodisbe. Ftatateeta is the name of Cleopatra's nurse in Bernard Shaw's "Caesar and Cleopatra", and Charmion is a historical character and Cleopatra's trusted confidante who committed suicide with her.

Answer: when he thinks she is asleep

Cleopatra pretends to be asleep and eavesdrops on what Cesare is speaking. She is delighted when he muses about how wonderful it would be to marry her, but he feels very awkward, since he still thinks she is merely a girl serving Cleopatra.

Answer: Sesto, Nireno and Cesare

Sesto and Nireno come to the battlefield when the battle is already won by Tolomeo, and they discover the dying Achilla. Cesare watches from a distance. Note that in the ENO's filmed performance with Janet Baker, Curio is also present at the scene, but it isn't so in the libretto.