Cleopatra and Julius — Magic Festival 2026

All Concerts of the 2026 Magic? Festival

Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra
David Shemer — conductor
Shaked Bar — mezzo-soprano

“Cleopatra and Julius” is the closing concert of the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra’s 2026 Magic? Festival. The program turns to Cleopatra and Julius Caesar—two figures whose relationship inspired Baroque composers to create virtuosic and lyrical operatic scenes.

Program

Johann Adolf Hasse — Overture to the opera Antonio and Cleopatra and Cleopatra’s aria
Carl Heinrich Graun — Cleopatra’s aria
Antonio Sartorio — Caesar’s and Cleopatra’s arias; Sinfonia from Orpheus
George Frideric Handel — Caesar’s and Cleopatra’s arias; Concerto grosso Op. 6 No. 12

Shaked Bar moves from the role of Cleopatra to that of Caesar, revealing both the female and male perspectives on the story. The arias are combined with orchestral passages, creating a musical portrait of two rulers and their dramatic relationship.

The “Magic?” Festival is being held for the fifth time. The theme of 2026 is “Echo”: women creators, performers, queens and patrons, muses and heroines whose influence continues to resonate in culture. The two-day program spans everything from ancient myths to 20th-century jazz and from European salons to the contemporary stage.