Antonio Sartorio - Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Attilio Cremonesi)

Information

Composer: Antonio Sartorio

• Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Live, Innsbruck, 2004)

Alexandrina Pendatschanska; Laura Alonso; Dominique Visse

Andries Cloete; Federico Sacchi; Amel Brahim-Djelloul

Maria Cristina Kiehr; Claire Brua; Steven Cole

La Cetra

Attilio Cremonesi, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: fra bernardo

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Giulio Cesare in Egitto is a three-act musical drama composed by Antonio Sartorio with a libretto by Giacomo Francesco Bussani. Premiered to great acclaim on December 17, 1676, at the Teatro San Salvador in Venice, the opera reflects an important trend in Venetian opera by incorporating prominent trumpet parts, a technique first explored in Sartorio’s Adelaide. In this work, trumpets in D major appear in the opening symphony, four arias, and a tocco di tromba, often alternating with the vocal lines. The libretto was later revised by Nicola Francesco Haym and adapted by George Frideric Handel for his 1724 opera. The work was revived in modern times at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music on August 25, 2004, featuring Attilio Cremonesi and the La Cetra Barockorchester Basel.

Antonio Sartorio (c. 1630–1680) was an Italian Baroque composer best known for his operas and vocal music. Active primarily in Venice and Hanover, he served as Kapellmeister to Duke Johann Friedrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1665 to 1675 before returning permanently to Venice, where he became vice maestro di cappella at St. Mark’s Basilica in 1676. Sartorio was a leading figure in Venetian opera during the late seventeenth century, composing notable works such as Giulio Cesare in Egitto, L'Orfeo, and L'Adelaide. His music is recognized for its expressive arias, dramatic intensity, and influence on the development of later Baroque opera.

Attilio Cremonesi is an internationally acclaimed conductor specializing in rarely performed Baroque and Classical repertoire. Educated in Piacenza and at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, he has earned recognition through award-winning recordings and appearances at leading festivals including the Wiener Festwochen, Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, and the Lucerne Festival. Cremonesi has conducted at major opera houses such as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and Theater an der Wien, collaborating with ensembles including Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and La Cetra Barockorchester Basel. His productions include Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, and Handel’s Giulio Cesare. Since 2021, he has directed the Händelfestspielorchester Halle.