Opera Scotland

Giulio Cesare in Egitto 1992Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto

Scottish Opera's second Handel staging was a distinctly mixed blessing. Many of the critics had a field day because of editorial decisions which resulted in various cuts and reorderings which were no longer considered appropriate in in the era of 'authentic' Handel. Willy Decker's staging was dominated by an enormous staircase that filled the stage and looked spectacular, but restricted action. Nor was it helped by dressing Sextus as a schoolboy and similar excrescences. The singing was uniformly excellent and made the event more than worthwhile. The conducting on the whole was rather pedestrian.

Joan Rodgers, Anne Mason and Gidon Saks appeared several times with Scottish Opera. Sadly, Michael Chance, Christopher Robson and Eirian James did not. The production went off to the co-producing company in Germany, never to be seen again.