Radamisto (HWV 12) is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym, based on L'amor tirannico, o Zenobia by Domenico Lalli and Zenobia by Matteo Noris. It was Handel's first opera for the Royal Academy of Music.
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It was first performed at the King's Theatre, London on 27 April 1720 and was judged to be a success, resulting in 10 further performances. A revised version with different singers was written for a revival on 28 December 1720. More revisions followed for yet another version presented in 1721 and again for further revival in 1728. It was also given in Hamburg. The first modern performance was in Göttingen on 27 June 1927.
The first production in the US, in a semi-staged version, took place on 16 February 1980 in Washington, DC and the first fully staged presentation was given at Mannes College, New York on 10 January 1992.[1] Productions are fairly rare in modern times. They include the Handel Festival Göttingen production of 1993 given in Zurich and conducted by Nicholas McGegan which was later recorded by Harmonia Mundi; Opera McGill in Montreal presented the 1720 revision in May 2006; and the Santa Fe Opera presented it with counter tenor David Daniels as part of its 2008 season.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 27 April 1720 |
Revised version Premiere Cast, 28 December 1720 |
Revised version Premiere Cast, 1728 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radamisto, son of Farasmane |
soprano / alto castrato |
Margherita Durastanti |
Senesino | Senesino |
| Zenobia, his wife |
alto / soprano / mezzo-soprano |
Anastasia Robinson |
Margherita Durastanti |
Faustina Bordoni |
| Tiridate, King of Armenia |
tenor / bass | Alexander Gordon |
Giuseppe Maria Boschi |
Giuseppe Maria Boschi |
| Polissena, his wife, daughter of Farasmane |
soprano | Ann Turner Robinson |
Maddalena Salvai | Francesca Cuzzoni |
| Farasmane, King of Thrace |
bass | Lagarde | Lagarde | Giovanni Battista Palmerini |
| Tigrane, Prince of Pontus |
soprano / soprano castrato / alto castrato |
Caterina Galerati |
Matteo Berselli | Antonio Baldi |
| Fraarte, brother of Tiridate |
soprano castrato / soprano |
Benedetto Baldassari |
Caterina Galerati |
(role cut) |
The opera has set numbers with recitative. It is based on Tacitus's Annals of Imperial Rome.
"The happily married Radamisto and Zenobia are besieged by Tiridate, ruler of a neighboring country. Radamisto through an invasion of Tiridate has launched and Zenobia through Tiridate's attempt to capture her during the warfare. Despite his marriage to the faithful Polissena, Tiridate has fallen passionately in love with Zenobia and his attempts to secure and seduce her are the forces that drive the story. The "tyrannical love" which consumes Tiridate eventually gives way and he is reunited with Polissena, while Radamisto and Zenobia celebrate the "sweet refuse" they find in each other's arms." [2]
Score of Radamisto (ed. Friedrich Chrysander, Leipzig 1875)