Opera loves a controversy. Admittedly director James Conway’s decision, in splitting Giulio Cesare into two parts, to recapitulate the closing scenes from Part 1 as the opening scenes of Part 2, is hardly the biggest controversy the opera world has seen.

Some of the audience of this English Touring Opera production of Handel’s take on Caesar and Cleopatra, comment that the work is long enough without repetition making it longer. Others would argue for cutting the da capo of the arias – but that would deprive us of the scintillating ornamentation of Soraya Mafi, as Cleopatra. Christopher Ainslie, as Cesare, is no slouch at the ornamentation either. Besides, the recapitulation is done with a slightly different staging, creating a sort-of ‘should I really have said it that way’ vibe.

Overall, however, the split does work, though it would be good to see this performed straight through. There is some excellent characterisation as well as singing. Cleopatra’s younger brother Tolomeo, who dethrones her and claps her in prison, is a devious, spiteful, poisonous toad and Benjamin Williamson plays him without a single redeeming feature.

His ally against the Romans, Achilla, starts off being pretty unpleasant, decapitating Pompey really to make Cornelia a widow, because he has long lusted after her, and his continuing treatment of her lowers our opinion even further. Yet, by the time Benjamin Bevan is dying of wounds received fighting FOR Cesare and Cleopatra AGAINST Tolomeo, we accept that he has changed and become a Better Person.

As Cornelia, Catherine Carby has less opportunity for the ornamental fireworks, spending her time lamenting her fate and urging her rather wimpish son Sesto (Kitty Whately) to vengeance. Sesto does know that is what sons are meant to do, but whether it is squeamishness or just lack of backbone, we can see his heart is not in it, and we feel his relief when he finally manages to kill Tolomeo, thus saving his mother from rape. The mother and son duet at the end of Act 1 is particularly good.

The set is plain – turquoise carpet for the arrival of Cesare at Tolomeo’s palace. The most elaborate scene is the gold-lit niche in which Cleopatra masquerades as ‘Lidia’ impersonating the goddess Virtue. Cordelia Chisholm’s costumes are colour-coded – opulent turquoise brocade for Cleopatra and Tolomeo (with extravagant cuffs); understated grey for the Romans. Incongruously, the Egyptians also wear crucifixes and cross themselves from time to time.

Tolomeo tries to impress in a lovely scene with Cesare, mirroring Cesare’s every move, to comic effect. Then an attempt on Cesare’s life with poisoned wine, but the glasses get muddled …

In the minor roles of Cesare’s side-kick Curio and Cleopatra’s faithful councillor Nireno, Frederick Lord and Thomas Scott-Cowell respectively provide solid support to their employers with grace and elegance.

There’s some delicious playing from The Old Street Band, conducted by Jonathan Peter Kenny, for example the violin duetting with Cesare when he is enamoured of ‘Lidia’, with a local choir providing the occasional off-stage chorus.