Royalism and Ancient Rome in a Revolutionary opera.
175. Adrien (Méhul)
Category: Ancient Rome
172. La clemenza di Tito (Mozart)
Mozart's Metastasian opera seria is one of his best works.
164. Les Horaces (Salieri)
Patriotism and self-sacrifice in Salieri's austere music drama.
147. Eliogabalo (Cavalli)
Where is the black stone of Emesa?
132. Arminio (Handel)
Posterity has not been kind to Handel's late opera Arminio.. With my customary perversity, I enjoyed it more than Giulio Cesare.
127. Germanico in Germania (Porpora)
Dramma per musica in 3 actsComposer: Nicola PorporaLibretto: Nicola ColuzziFirst performed: Teatro Capricana, Rome, 11 February 1732 Nicola Porpora was a master of writing for the human voice. In his day, he was one of Italy’s foremost singing teachers; his pupils at the Conservatorio di Sant’Onofrio, Naples, included the castrati Farinelli and Caffarelli (who studied … Continue reading 127. Germanico in Germania (Porpora)
126. Catone in Utica (Vinci)
Opera seria in 3 actsComposer: Leonardo VinciLibretto: Pietro MetastasioFirst performed: Teatro Alibert, Rome, 19 January 1728 A Roman triumph! Decca’s 2015 recording (conductor Riccardo Minasi, with Il Pomo d’Oro) of this Caesarian opera seria has some of the most extraordinary singing I’ve ever heard. Veni, audivi, Vinci, one might say. Catone in Utica was Leonardo … Continue reading 126. Catone in Utica (Vinci)
