Premiering on 24 February 1711, Rinaldowas Handel’s first London opera.
The influence of The British Enchanters(a “semi-opera” with a collaborative
score) is examined and found significant. Resemblances of plot and scenic
details are pointed out. For Rinaldo Handel had two librettists—one Italian,
the other English. The Italian, Giacomo Rossi, wrote the first text, and Aaron
Hill translated and adapted it. The adaptation drew not only on British
Enchantersbut also on the English stage traditions. As manager of the Queen’s
Theatre, Hill was also interested in enhancing the role of stage machinery, pro-
viding the kind of effects associated with the style of the English masque.Rodrigo
- Knapp, J. Merrill. “Handel’s First Italian Opera: Vincer se stesso è la maggior
vittoria, or Rodrigo.” M&L62 (1981): 12–29.
Rodrigo(Florence, 1707) had a libretto modeled on a 1699 work, Il duello
d’amore e di vendetta(text by Francesco Silvani, music by Marc Antonio
Ziani). The two operas are compared, and the relevant research is summa-
rized. Notes that Handel at 22 was already “a practised Italianate musician.”
Semele
ASO 171 (1996).
Serse (Xerxes)
- Powers, Harold S. “Il Sersetrasformato.” MQ 47 (1961): 481–492; 48
(1962): 73–92. Reprint, GL,v.11.
A valuable examination of the libretto, comparing the original version (Venice,
1654) with the Rome revision of 1694. A shift in emphasis from recitative to
aria is noted. Bononcini’s setting of the Rome libretto is compared with Han-
del’s.- Dean, Winton. “Handel’s Serse.” In Opera and the Enlightenment(#91), 135–
The opera was a unique blend of farce, satire, and passion—not unlike the
works of Mozart/Da Ponte. Borrowings from Bononcini’s Xerse(1694) are
analyzed, including the “melodic germ” of “Ombra mai fu.” Handel greatly
enhanced all his borrowings. With a lucid, technical study of music and
drama. Appendix of sources and editions.
- Osthoff, Wolfgang. “Haendels ‘Largo’ als Musik des goldenen Zeitalters.”
AfM30 (1973): 175–189.
Genesis of the famous aria “Ombra mai fu,” considering poetic models. Set-
tings of the text by Cavalli and Bononcini are examined and compared with
Handel’s. - “Kolloquium: Händels Oper Xerxes als Inszenierungsproblem.” Händel-
Jahrbuch20 (1974): 22–65.
A discussion of staging problems by Walther Siegmund-Schulze, Jens Peter
Larsen, Reinhold Rüdiger, and other specialists.
George Frideric Handel 195