- Handel’s Italian opera Teseo (“Theseus”) premiered on January 10, 1713. He composed the work the year before.
- Handel’s libretto was based on a French source, which is why this is Handel’s only 5-act opera: five acts were the norm in French opera.
- Handel dedicated the opera to the Earl of Burlington, a patron of the arts in whose home Handel stayed for some years during his early time in England (it is possible he was living there when he wrote Teseo)
- Story: Set in mythical Athens, the story follows the adventures of military hero Theseus, his romance with princess Agilea, and the jealous machinations of the enchantress Medea.
- Teseo is heroic and magical in character. Its exciting story and special effects were probably meant to replicate the massive success of his earlier opera Rinaldo after the comparative flop of his recent pastoral opera, Il pastor fido.12
Sources
- Anthony Hicks, “Handel [Händel, Hendel], George Frideric,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed October 17, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040060.
- Anthony Hicks, “Teseo,” Grove Music Online (2002), accessed October 17, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-5000007331.
Cut IDs
43839