Half man, half machine, George Frideric Handel broke off in the autumn of 1736 from the composition of Giustino, three weeks in, to write Alcina, then went back to finish Giustino in five days. Within months both works were staged at his new base, the Theatre Royal, on the site of today’s Royal Opera House.
The Royal Opera is revisiting this period, exceptionally productive even by the standards of this indefatiguable composer, with a series of productions. Giustino, in the Linbury Theatre, is the latest addition, and it marks the first appearance as director at Covent Garden of Joe Hill-Gibbins. And what a stylish house debut it is, visually striking, theatrical in the best way and intensely musical.
Mireille Asselin as Arianna and Keri Fuge as Anastasio. Photo: Marc Brenner
Giustino and associated characters are loosely based on history, emperor Justin having risen from modest beginnings. Here that humble background is represented as humiliating service in the affluent 1930s household of the formidable Empress Arianna. The crowning of her new husband Anastasio is interrupted by the villainy of jealous Vitaliano. Cue Giustino, who fends off a bear, a sea monster, and, ultimately, Vitaliano himself.
None of this comes easily, of course. Twisting and turning through the nonetheless cheerful succession of arias and occasional chorus outbursts, the story has a shaded end, as rejoicing mingles with, in Hill-Gibbins’s reading, merciless vengeance. That feels like a misstep, clemency being more commonly Handel’s resolution.
Also new to the Royal Opera House is the scintillating ensemble La Nuova Musica, directed by its founder David Bates, and featuring some of the greatest exponents of historically informed performance. From Leo Duarte and Sarah Humphrys come not only beguiling melodies scored for oboe but the breezy fragility of the recorder. Growling under the threats and escapes are the bassoon of Inga Maria Klaucke, with Jonatan Bougt and Judith Evans on the theorbo and double bass. Occasional on-stage brass are a comic turn in their own right. Bates steers Handel’s spinning top of a score with wit and pace. You could not want for more exciting playing, by turns gritty and silky.
Jake Arditti as Amanzio and La Nuova Musica. Photo: Marc Brenner
On stage, a well-matched cast is led by mezzo-soprano Polly Leech in the title role and soprano Mireille Asselin as Arianna also doubling as Fortune, who drops by. Counter-tenor Jake Arditti is reptilian as Amanzio, stooge to Vitaliano, sung by tenor Benjamin Hulett. Bass-baritone Jonathan Lemalu is bullying Polidarte, and Giustino’s devoted fellow servant Leocasta is sung with both tenderness and character by mezzo-soprano Esme Bronwen-Smith. Soprano Keri Fuge is hapless Anastasio. This dream cast blends technique that puts the listener at ease with artistry that brings the piece to life. What more can you ask?
Set design by Rosanna Vize is partly inspired by the mural painted for a Californian TB clinic by Philip Guston and Reuben Kadish. In it, the two American artists, working under the New Deal, wound the arts through 30 figures representing the ages of man, from childhood to old age. Vize cuts out and highlights one musical instrument, as if to give this art its own place – and also to illustrate the gap in a life devoid of music. Vize’s costumes pick up the muted, fresco-like palette.
Polly Leech as Giustino and Esme Bronwen-Smith as Leocasta. Photo: Marc Brenner
While every moment is rewarding, Giustino may not pass the old grey whistle test, but it would be folly to miss this production. The opera lay dormant for more than 200 years before its revival by enthusiasts in the great Handel revival. But it doesn’t come round often, and won’t, with stiff competition from the composer’s later and more sophisticated works. With singing and playing this scintillating, however, it’s not to be missed.
Giustino is sung in Italian with English surtitles. It runs until 18 October 2025