Opera in 3 acts
Libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym after Stefano Benedetto Pallavicini
World premiere January 12 1723 King’s Theatre, Haymarket, London
Sung in Italian with German & English surtitles
Introductory talks (in German) in the Holzfoyer 30 mins before curtain up and available here, and everywhere podcasts can be found, shortly after opening night
Ottone’s supposed to marry Teofane, but nobody reckoned with ambitious Gismonda, plotting away to bring her son Adelberto to power. When marriage politics turn into a dirty game …
The libretto for the fictitious story of in Ottone consists of snapshots relating to an historically documented wedding between Emperor Otto II of Germany and Theophanu, a Byzantine princess. It’s based on Stefano Benedetto Pallavicini’s texts for Antonio Lotti’s drama per musica Teofane, which Handel probably saw in Dresden while casting singers for other projects. And, fancy that, Lotti’s young bride, and leading lady, is the lynchpin in Handel’s opera too, faced with the usual complications and entanglements.
The run up to the world premiere in London in 1723 was complicated because the composer had to try and meet the demands of the famous Italian singers he’d engaged. The result was a delicate fabric of refined, elegant, intimate arias, accompanied by a relatively small orchestra, with memorable melodies. Unsurprisingly, Handel's 3rd opera for the Royal Academy in London was another box-office hit and, with Rinaldo one of the most revived works during the composer’s lifetime. A rarely performed work, that deserves being rediscovered!
