Handel: “Va tacito“, from his Opera Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar). Andreas Scholl, countertenor.

“Va tacito e nascosto“ (Italian. English translation: “Silently and stealthily“) is an aria written for alto castrato voice in Act 1 of George Frideric Handel’s opera “Giulio Cesare in Egitto“ (Julius Caesar in Egypt HWv 17), composed in 1724 to a libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym. Here in this aria, a diplomatic stand-off is depicted; a peeing contest, as it were - its outcome made entirely unambiguous by the overwhelming military supremacy of the “upstart“ Romans, led by Julius Caesar. Here is a clip featuring countertenor Andreas Scholl as Caesar, alongside countertenor Christopher Robson, as Tolemeo, accompanied by an extensive solo natural horn obbligato - the predecessor to the modern-day (French) horn. The staging here is a contemporary take on Handel’s esteemed opera - a humorous tonic perhaps in these current, dark days of restrictions on personal liberty owing to Covid. I hope you enjoy it too. Libretto Va tacito e