Silla (full title Lucio Cornelio Silla, HWV 10) is an opera seria (referred to as a dramma per musica) in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was by Giacomo Rossi. The story concerns the Roman general Lucius Cornelius Sulla (138–78 BC) as recounted by Plutarch.
The opera appears to have been a pièce d'occasion, which may have been performed only once. The music was recycled in Handel's later opera Amadigi di Gaula.
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The first performance might have been on 2 June 1713. A dedication from the librettist, Rossi, to the French ambassador, the Duc d'Aumont, appears with that date in a printed copy of the libretto. Anthony Hicks believes there may have been a private performance at the Queen's Theatre, London.[1] However according to the Amadeus Almanac, the performance took place at Burlington House.[2]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 2 June 1713 (Conductor: George Frideric Handel) |
|---|---|---|
| Silla, Roman dictator | alto castrato | Valentino Urbani |
| Metella, Silla's wife | soprano | Probably Elisabetta Pilotti-Schiavonetti[3] |
| Lepido, tribune | soprano castrato | Valeriano Pellegrini |
| Flavia, Lepido's wife | soprano | Francesca Margherita de L'Epine |
| Claudio, senator, Celia's lover | alto | Jane Barbier |
| Celia, Catulus' daughter | soprano | Maria Manina-Fletcher-Seedo |
| The god Mars | bass | Richard Leveridge |
| Scabro | silent | |
| colspan=3 | Chorus |
Handel: Silla – London Handel Orchestra