Second opera in their ‘Handel on the Hudson’ series
GIULIO CESARE
Music by G.F. Handel
Production by R.B. Schlather
April 19, 23 (matinee), 26, 27 (matinee), 30 (matinee), May 2, 2025
The second of a thrilling Handel series commissioned by Hudson Hall (New York State’s oldest surviving theater) 327 Warren Street in Hudson, NY.
Schlather, a Hudson resident whose 2023 hit RODELINDA (and before that THE MOTHER OF US ALL) exemplified his mission of creating opera for the people in an historic upstate opera house, will again draw from the world-class talent in the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Featuring the conductorless Baroque band Ruckus, a production team of regional craftspeople,
and a cast of rising stars and baroque specialists:
Randall Scotting – Cesare
Song Hee Lee – Cleopatra
Chuanyuan Liu – Tolomeo
Meridian Prall – Cornelia
Raha Mirzadegan – Sesto
Douglas Williams – Archilla
Matthew Deming – Nireno
Rolfe Dauz – Curio
EARLY MUSIC BAND RUCKUS
Doug Balliett, bass
David Dickey, oboe
Joseph Monticello, flute
Elliot Figg, harpsichord
Coleman Itzkoff, cello
Ravenna Lipchik, violin
Paul Holmes Morton, guitar/theorbo
Manami Mizumoto, violin
Rebecca Nelson, violin
Jessica Troy, viola (Stephen Goist on the final two shows)
Nate Udell, horn
CREATIVE TEAM
Associate Producer: Daniel Stermer
Scenic Associate: Erica Zhang
Costume Design: Terese Wadden*
Lighting Design: Masha Tsimring
Dramaturg: Joseph Cermatori*
Supertitles: Steven Jude Tietjen
Hair and Makeup Design: Matia Emsellem*
Assistant Director: Michael Hoffmann*
Music Preparation: David Sytkowski*
Residency in partnership with Kaatsbaan Cultural Park*
*Regional ties
From Director R.B. Schlather:
“GIULIO CESARE has all the drama you want from a night at the opera: action, adventure, danger and suspense, power plays, romance, deception, and disguise. Inspired by the infamous love affair between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, the 1724 opera features some of Handel’s most spectacular arias and unforgettable music. It’s been a dream of mine to produce, and I couldn’t be prouder of the talented team of artists who have come together for it.”
About 120 miles up the Hudson River from the Metropolitan Opera House,
director R.B. Schlather is creating a local opera scene from the ground up.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice 10/17/23
Hudson, NY – Visionary opera director and Hudson resident R.B. Schlather reunites with early music band Ruckus in April 2025 for six performances of Handel’s baroque blockbuster GIULIO CESARE at Hudson Hall in Hudson, New York. Repeating the successful alchemy of RODELINDA (2023), Schlather brings together area residents, rising young stars, and some of today’s finest baroque interpreters to share his passion for Handel in the intimacy of New York State’s oldest surviving theater. As R.B. is known to say: “I think Handel is the greatest opera composer, full stop.” Led by sought-after American countertenor Randall Scotting as Cesare and rising young star Song Hee Lee as Cleopatra, the production also features 2024 Met Opera Finalist Meridian Prall as Cornelia, Bard Music Conservatory alumni Chuanyuan Liu as Tolomeo and Rolfe Dauz as Curio, and area residents Matthew Deming as Nireno, Raha Mirzadegan as Sesto, and Douglas Williams as Achilla. The young, conductorless period instrument ensemble Ruckus features a dozen of some of the top baroque instrumentalists working today. In his New York Times review of last year’s Rodelinda at Hudson Hall, Joshua Barone called Ruckus “stars,” and continued: “With a mercurial, almost improvisatory spirit that responded to the drama in real time, they played with the fieriness and emotional charge of verismo.” Ruckus’s core is a continuo group, the baroque equivalent of a jazz rhythm section: guitars, keyboards, cello, bassoon, and bass, joined by violin, flute, and oboe.
The creative team includes Joseph Cermatori as dramaturg, costume design by Terese Wadden and lighting by Masha Tsimring, scenic associate Erica Zhang, hair and makeup by Matia Emsellem, supertitles by Steven Jude Tietjen, assistant director Michael Hoffmann.*This second installment in Schlather’s ‘Handel on the Hudson’ series is eagerly anticipated. After The New York Times’ chief music critic Zachary Woolfe called the initial announcement “the best news in a while for the New York opera scene,” The New York Times’ classical music critic Joshua Barone praised Schlather’s RODELINDA as “worthy of a multi-year commitment to Handel.” Critic Seth Rogovoy commended the creative team of RODELINDA for investing their interpretation with “the kind of punk aesthetic and dynamic that made the nearly three-hour performance feel urgent, contemporary, and incredibly fun,” and The Berkshire Eagle‘s Evan Berkowitz wrote: “Rodelinda gave us the sort of opera we don’t often get in our region: not just fully staged, but fully realized.”
Place and talent are crucial ingredients in realizing Schlather’s vision. As Barone noted in his review, Hudson Hall is “surprisingly ideal for the intimacy of Handel,” setting it apart from the large New York City opera houses. Schlather, who lives just a few streets away from Hudson Hall, sources many of his collaborators from the local area and surrounding region, tapping a rich network of talent and partnerships right in his own backyard. Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in nearby Tivoli, NY joins as a cultural partner, and is where the cast will be in residence for the month of March. This sense of community extends to Schlather’s audiences—many of whom are introduced to opera through his work. In addition to the six performances, Schlather plans additional open rehearsal hours to allow even more audiences an entree into the power of opera.
“R.B. Schlather’s love of Handel and ability to connect with a new generation of musicians, creatives, and audiences creates an experience that is undeniably fresh and vital,” says Hudson Hall Executive Director Tambra Dillon. “It’s the future of opera—and it’s spectacular. We expect nothing less for GIULIO CESARE in 2025.”
* * *
Hudson Hall
at the historic Hudson Opera House
327 Warren Street
Hudson, NY 12534
hudsonhall.org
Tickets go on sale to members June 20, 2024;
on sale to the public January 2025