Gianna Rolandi - Handel: GIULIO CESARE, Venere bella, Geneva 1983

THE SONGBIRD: Gianna Rolandi (1952 - 2021) was a leading coloratura soprano at the New York City Opera in the 1970s and 1980s. She made her debut there as Olympia in "Tales of Hoffmann" in 1975 right after graduating from the Curtis Institute and basically stayed on the roster for 15 years in over 30 roles. (You can hear her NYCO debut performances and others on my channel). She was a Met Auditions finalist in 1974 and sang several seasons at The Met (Sophie, Olympia, Rossignol, and Zerbinetta), as well as making many appearances around the U.S. I heard her in San Diego as Ophelia in 1983 and met her backstage! Rolandi also made select guest performances at major venues and festivals abroad before she retired from singing in 1994 at the age of 42. This performance was conducted by Charles Mackerras. THE MUSIC: Handel's "Giulio Cesare in Egitto" premiered in 1724 in London. It was a success, having had several productions in Europe during Handel's lifetime and periodic revivals over the next 250 years, becoming one of his most frequently produced and recorded operas. "Venere bella" is one of Cleopatra's eight arias — she asks the goddess Venus to ensure her beauty is powerful enough to win over Julius Caesar.