Alessandro Severo

{{distinguish|text =Handel's opera Alessandro}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox opera

| name = {{lang|it|Alessandro Severo}}

| composer = George Frideric Handel

| image = George Frideric Handel by Balthasar Denner.jpg

| image_upright =

| caption = George Frideric Handel, portrayed by Balthasar Denner, 1729

| translated_title =

| librettist = Apostolo Zeno?

| language = Italian

| based_on =

| premiere_date = {{Start date|1738|02|25|df=y}}

| premiere_location = King's Theatre, Haymarket, London

}}

{{lang|it|Alessandro Severo}} (Alexander Severus, HWV A13) is an opera by George Frideric Handel composed in 1738. It is one of Handel's three pasticcio works,Hicks, Anthony, "Handel With Care" (November 1993). The Musical Times, 134 (1809): pp. 639-642. made up of the music and arias of his previous operas Giustino, Berenice and Arminio. Only the overture and recitatives (as well as the words) were new. The impresario Johann Jacob Heidegger probably selected the 1717 libretto by Apostolo Zeno, originally written for Antonio Lotti and re-used by many composers thereafter.Essays on Handel and Italian Opera ed Reinhard Strohm [https://books.google.com/books?id=DAjaK6zvDjIC&pg=PA76 p.76]

Performance history

Alessandro Severo was not a success at its premiere under the direction of the composer on 25 February 1738 at the King's Theatre, London.Hume, Robert D., "Handel and Opera Management in London in the 1730s" (October 1986). Music & Letters, 67 (4): pp. 347-362.

Roles

class="wikitable"

|+ {{sronly|Roles, voice types, and premiere cast}}

!Role

!Voice type

!Premiere Cast, 25 February 1738

Sallustia

|soprano

|Elisabeth Duparc ("La Francesina")

Claudio

|soprano

|Margherita Chimenti ("La Droghierina")

Giulia

|contralto

|Antonia Merighi

Eurilla

|mezzo-soprano

|Maria Antonia Marchesini ("La Lucchesina")

Alessandro

|mezzo-soprano castrato

|Caffarelli

Marziano

|bass

|Antonio Montagnana

Synopsis

The opera is based upon the story of the Roman Emperor Alexander Severus.

References

Notes

{{reflist}}

Sources

  • {{Almanacco|dmy=25-02-1738|match=Alessandro Severo}}
  • {{citation|first=Winton|last=Dean|title=Handel's Operas, 1726-1741|publisher=Boydell Press|year=2006|isbn=1-84383-268-2}} The second of the two volume definitive reference on the operas of Handel

External Links

  • [https://imslp.org/wiki/Alessandro_Severo%2C_HWV_A13_(Handel%2C_George_Frideric) Alessandro Severo] at IMSLP.

{{George Frideric Handel |state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Operas by George Frideric Handel

Category:1738 operas

Category:Italian-language operas

Category:Operas