Hudson, New York — Following the auspicious success of 2023’s “Rodelinda,” R.B. Schlather’s ambitious all-Handel project continues apace. This month, he presents G.F. Handel’s most popular opera, “Giulio Cesare,” at New York State’s oldest surviving theater, Hudson Hall at the historic Hudson Opera House, April 19, 23 (matinee), 26, 27 (matinee), and 30 (matinee) and May 2.
In October 2023, Schlather’s production of Handel’s “Rodelinda” drew this report from Berkshire Edge theater critic J. Peter Bergman:
Schlather and company presented a fine show that should be a good omen for Handel in Hudson in the years to come… A sold-out house cheered the work and the workers with a well-deserved standing ovation and a constant recall to bow at the end of the two-hour-35-minute performance.
The Berkshire Eagle wrote, “Rodelinda gave us the sort of opera we don’t often get in our region: not just fully staged, but fully realized.”
In his New York Times review of “Rodelinda,” Joshua Barone wrote
With smart direction from R.B. Schlather and excellent performances from the early-music group Ruckus, this is a ‘Rodelinda’ worthy of a multi-year commitment to Handel…
Barone also praised the venue:
The gift of a space like Hudson Hall is that, without too much effort by either the audience or the artists, you can hear every nuance of Handel’s music and its interpretation.
Perhaps the Times’ highest accolades went to the early-music band Ruckus, described by San Francisco Classical Voice as “the world’s only period-instrument rock band”:
Their command of the score was immediate, precise and fleet in the overture… 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 is the baroque equivalent of a jazz rhythm section, with guitars, keyboards, cello, bassoon, and bass serving a traditional continuo role. The group wants to “fuse the early-music movement’s questing, creative spirit with the grit, groove and jangle of American roots music,” and by all accounts, they have succeeded.
Schlather describes Giulio Cesare as “a wild ride—packed with intrigue, danger, seduction, sharp wit, and gut-wrenching drama.”
He explains:
These characters may have ancient names, but they’re completely modern.… Think of it as Handel’s version of a pulp fiction thriller, inspired by Julius Caesar’s high-stakes escapades in Egypt and his scandalous love affair with the young, cunning Cleopatra…
Back in Handel’s day, performers rocked contemporary fashion, played against minimal backdrops, and lit up the stage with raw charisma. People came for the thrill—the singers, the spectacle, the physicality, and the sheer energy of the music. That’s the vibe for this Handel series in Hudson: bold, visceral, and unapologetically thrilling.
Hudson, famous as a whaling town in the 18th and 19th centuries, is now best known for its creative community and bucolic setting. Two hours north of New York City, the town is home to a growing creative economy.
See R.B. Schlather’s staging of Handel’s “Giulio Cesare” sung in Italian with English supertitles at the historic Hudson Hall, April 19, 23 (matinee), 26, 27 (matinee), and 30 (matinee) and May 2. The performance is approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission. Tickets start at $25 and are available directly from Hudson Hall. Opening night, Saturday, April 19, is sold out. But if you arrive one hour prior to the 6 p.m. performance, you may be able to get a seat by adding your name to a standby list.
