Floridante (HWV 14) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was by Paolo Antonio Rolli after Francesco Silvani's libretto for Marc'Antonio Ziani dramma per musica La costanza in trionfo of 1696.
The opera was first given at the King's Theatre in London on 9 December 1721 and again with revisions on 4 December 1722. It was performed in Hamburg in 1723 and revived in London with further revisions in 1727 and 1733. The next staging, and the first modern performance, took place at the Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon on 10 May 1962.[1]
The manuscript of the final chorus from the opera was discovered in the 1930s, and filled out the autograph manuscript in the Royal collection at the British Museum.[2]
Contents |
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 9 December 1721 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Floridante, Prince of Thrace | alto castrato | Senesino |
| Oronte, King of Persia | bass | Giuseppe Maria Boschi |
| Timante, Prince of Tyre | soprano castrato | Benedetto Baldassari |
| Rossane, Oronte's daughter | soprano | Maddalena Salvai |
| Elmira | alto | Anastasia Robinson |
| Coralbo, Persian satrap | bass |