List of operas by George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel's operas comprise 42 musical dramas that were written between 1705 and 1741 in various genres. He began composing operas in Germany and then for a brief time in Italy to modest success. It was not until he moved to England that he found great success in the genre. His first opera in England, Rinaldo (1711), was met with enthusiasm, and several more Italian operas soon followed. However, Handel's place as the central figure of opera in England during the eighteenth century was not solidified until, under the influence of Thomas Arne, he began composing large-scale works with English language texts. Though almost all his English language works are technically oratorios and not operas, several of them, such as Semele (1743), have become an important part of the opera repertoire. Handel's first opera (opera seria - serious Italian opera) was Almira (1705).
During the 36 years in which Italian opera was his principal concern, Handel adhered closely to the typical form of the era, determined by the precedence given to solo singing and to stage presentation in which set changes were made in front of the audience and the curtain not lowered until the work's conclusion. Recitatives preceded solo arias, usually in da capo form (though frequently with an abridged return to the chief section), dominate the operas, and scenes are normally devised to start with several characters on stage, each of whom sings an aria and then exits. The last scene typically concludes with a coro sung by the soloists; ensembles are otherwise atypical and mainly limited to scenes of communal celebration; only "Dall’orror" in Act 3 of Alcina (1735) reaches the depth of the choruses in the English choral works. Handel’s operas therefore seem to be highly similar to those of his contemporaries; what makes them unique is the brilliance of the music which skilfully conveys with instant fervor the emotional states of the characters within the context of the drama.
Overview
Handel's earlier operas tended to be of a lighter nature, although there are intermittent moments, such as the prison scene from Almira (1705), which are highly dramatic. Handel's music for his first operas in England was often derived from musical ideas and idioms found in his cantatas and other works written during his time spent in Italy (1706–09). For example, the characteristic harmonic structure of Agrippina (1709) is obviously a retention of material from this Italian period. In general, the orchestrations of Handel's earlier operas tended to be richer and smoother than in his later works, utilizing additional instruments like bassoons to achieve different tone colours. The music for Rinaldo (1711) notably used four trumpets, an instrumental choice that Handel never repeated elsewhere.
Beginning with Ottone (1722), Handel composed numerous operas for the Royal Academy of Music during the 1720s. With the exception of Flavio (1723), the operas from this period are more serious in tone and the musical expression is more astutely aligned to the opera's drama than in his earlier operas. Of particular importance from this period is Giulio Cesare (1724), which contains one of Handel's most expansive and emotively powerful scores. The sumptuous music and deft characterizations found in this work has made it one of the more frequently revived Handel operas during the 20th and 21st centuries. Also of note are Tamerlano (1724) and Rodelinda (1725) which have particularly striking leading tenor roles that Handel wrote specifically for Francesco Borosini. The later operas that Handel wrote for the Academy were not as successful as his earlier ones. The two major sopranos at the Academy, Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni, were intensely competitive, and Handel had to cater to them both equally in these latter Academy operas. With the exception of Admeto (1727), the attempt at balancing two leading soprano roles within an individual opera proved to hinder the work both musically and dramatically.
During the 1730s, Handel returned to writing operas of a comic and fantastic or heroic nature, largely because he no longer had to cater to the tastes of the Academy when choosing librettos. These works, such as Partenope (1730), Orlando (1733) and Alcina (1735), were influenced by the operas of Leonardo Vinci and Leonardo Leo and are written in a pre-classical manner. During this period, Handel began to more frequently utilize the scena in his works, and by the mid-1730s he was writing some of his most dramatically moving arias, such as the mad scene of Orlando and the end of Act 2 of Alcina. The size of the orchestras for these works was also larger, with Handel typically employing 12 violins, 8 violas, 6 cellos, 4 double basses, and two harpsichords in addition to four bassoons and a number of other wind instruments. In operas like Oreste (1734), Handel attempted to synthesize Italian opera with French opera in the sequences of dances and choruses, but made no further experimentation in this area outside of the operas of 1734 and 1735. Two of the operas from this period, Ariodante (1735) and Atalanta (1736), were a departure from the traditionally heroic librettos used by Handel, adopting a more realistic romantic intimacy.
By the late 1730s, Handel's attention was increasingly diverted away from composing operas and was much more focused on the English oratorio. A number of his operas from 1737 on lack the brilliance of his earlier works, most likely due to this shift in focus. Nevertheless, his operas Giustino (1737) and Serse (1738) contain some very fine music. Serse is also notable for successfully mixing comedy and poignant tragedy into a masterfully crafted plot, a development repeated less successfully in Imeneo (1740). Handel's last Italian opera, Deidamia, was produced in 1741 and was not received very well as England's taste for Italian opera had waned. Handel returned one more time to theatre music for the semi-opera Alceste in 1750.
List of works
The following is a complete list of Handel's operatic works. All are opera seria in three acts, unless otherwise stated.
HWV | Title | Libretto | Première date | Première place, theatre | Modern revival | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Almira (Der in Krohnen erlangte Glücks-Wechsel, oder: Alimira, Königin von Castilien) | Friedrich Christian Feustking, after Giulio Pancieri | 8 January 1705 | Hamburg, Theater am Gänsemarkt | 4 June 1994, Handel Festival, Bad Lauchstädt | Some music lost; announced as a Singspiel but has no spoken dialogue |
2 | Nero (Die durch Blut und Mord erlangete Liebe) | Friedrich Christian Feustking | 25 February 1705 | Hamburg, Theater am Gänsemarkt | Music lost | |
3 | Florindo (Der beglückte Florindo) | Hinrich Hinsch | January 1708 | Hamburg, Theater am Gänsemarkt | Almost all of the music is lost | |
4 | Daphne (Die verwandelte Daphne) | Hinrich Hinsch | January 1708 | Hamburg, Theater am Gänsemarkt | A sequel to Florindo, intended to be performed on the day after it. Almost all of the music is lost | |
5 | Rodrigo (Vincer se stesso è la maggior vittoria) | After Francesco Silvani's II duello d'Amore e di Vendetta Italian libretto |
c, November 1707 | Florence, Teatro di via del Cocomero | 1984, Innsbruck | Some music is lost |
6 | Agrippina | Vincenzo Grimani | 26 December 1709, early 1710 | Venice, Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo | 1943, Halle | |
7a/b | Rinaldo | Giacomo Rossi/Aaron Hill, after Tasso, La Gerusalemme liberata Italian libretto |
24 February 1711 | London, Queen's Theatre | June 1954, Handel Festival, Halle | HWV 7b is the 1731 revision; the libretto of a revision of 1717 also exists |
8a/b/c | Il pastor fido | Giacomo Rossi, after Giovanni Battista Guarini 8b Italian libretto, 8c Italian libretto |
22 November 1712 | London, Queen's Theatre | 20 June 1948, Handel Festival Göttingen (third, November 1734 version); 14 September 1971, Abingdon, (first, 1712 version) | HWV 8c designates the version of May 1734 and its November revival. The prologue Terpsicore added to the November 1734 revival is 8b. |
9 | Teseo | Nicola Francesco Haym, after Philippe Quinault's libretto for Thésée Italian libretto |
10 January 1713 | London, Queen's Theatre | 29 June 1947, Handel Festival Göttingen | 5 acts |
10 | Silla | Giacomo Rossi, after Plutarch's Life of Sulla Italian libretto |
2 June 1713? | London, Queen's Theatre? (or Burlington House?) | Much of the music was re-used in Amadigi | |
11 | Amadigi di Gaula | Rossi or Haym (?), after Antoine Houdar de la Motte's Amadis de Grèce, 1699 Italian libretto |
25 May 1715 | London, King's Theatre | Osnabrück, 1929 | Various additions during the initial run and the revivals of 1716 and 1717 |
12a/b | Radamisto | Haym (?), after Domenico Lalli's L'amor tirannico, o Zenobia Italian libretto |
27 April 1720 | London, King’s Theatre | 27 June 1927, Handel Festival Göttingen | Librettos of the revised versions of December 1720 and 1728 exist |
13 | Muzio Scevola | Paolo Antonio Rolli, after a reworking of a Nicolò Minato libretto by Silvio Stampiglia Italian libretto |
15 April 1721 | London, King’s Theatre | 1928, Essen (Act 3 only) | only Act 3 is by Handel |
14 | Floridante | Rolli, after Francesco Silvani's La costanza in trionfo Italian libretto |
9 December 1721 | London, King’s Theatre | 10 May 1962, Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon | Revised versions premiered in 1722, 1727 and 1733 |
15 | Ottone | Haym, after Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino's libretto for Antonio Lotti's opera Teofane Italian libretto |
12 January 1723 | London, King’s Theatre | 5 July 1921, Handel Festival Göttingen | Revised versions premiered in 1726 and 1733 |
16 | Flavio | Haym, after M Noris's Il Flavio Cuniberto Italian libretto |
14 May 1723 | London, King’s Theatre | 2 July 1967, Handel Festival Göttingen | The libretto of the revised version of 1732 exists |
17 | Giulio Cesare | Haym Italian libretto |
20 February 1724 | London, King’s Theatre | 1922, Handel Festival Göttingen | |
18 | Tamerlano | Haym, after Agostin Piovene and Nicholas Pradon Italian libretto |
31 October 1724 | London, King’s Theatre | 7 September 1924, Karlsruhe | |
19 | Rodelinda | Haym, after Antonio Salvi, after Pierre Corneille's play Pertharite, roi des Lombards Italian libretto |
13 February 1725 | London, King’s Theatre | 26 June 1920, Handel Festival Göttingen | |
20 | Scipione | Rolli Italian libretto |
12 March 1726 | London, King’s Theatre | 1937, Handel Festival Göttingen | |
21 | Alessandro | O Mauro Italian libretto |
5 May 1726 | London, King’s Theatre | 1959, Stuttgart (in German) | |
22 | Admeto | Haym Italian libretto |
31 January 1727 | London, King’s Theatre | 1964, Abingdon | |
23 | Riccardo Primo | Rolli, after Francesco Briani Italian libretto |
11 November 1727 | London, King’s Theatre | 8 July 1964, Sadler's Wells Theatre (Handel Opera Society), London | |
24 | Siroe | Haym, after Metastasio Italian libretto |
17 February 1728 | London, King’s Theatre | December 1925, Gera | |
25 | Tolomeo | Haym, adapted from Carlo Sigismondo Capece Italian libretto |
30 April 1728 | London, King’s Theatre | 19 June 1938, Handel Festival Göttingen | |
26 | Lotario | After Antonio Salvi Italian libretto |
2 December 1729 | London, King’s Theatre | 3 September 1975, Kenton Theatre, Henley-on-Thames | |
27 | Partenope | After Silvio Stampiglia Italian libretto |
24 February 1730 | London, King’s Theatre | 23 June 1935, Handel Festival Göttingen | |
28 | Poro | After Metastasio Italian libretto |
2 February 1731 | London, King’s Theatre | 1928, Braunschweig | |
29 | Ezio | Metastasio Italian libretto |
15 January 1732 | London, King’s Theatre | 30 June 1926, Handel Festival Göttingen | |
30 | Sosarme | After Salvi Italian libretto |
15 February 1732 | London, King’s Theatre | 1970, Abingdon | |
31 | Orlando | After Capece, after Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando furioso Italian libretto |
27 January 1733 | London, King’s Theatre | 6 May 1959, Abingdon | |
32 | Arianna in Creta | After Pietro Pariati's Arianna e Teseo | 26 January 1734 | London, King’s Theatre | ||
A 11 | Oreste | After Giangualberto Barlocci | 18 December 1734 | London, Covent Garden Theatre | 1990, Karlsruhe | Pasticcio |
33 | Ariodante | After Salvi, after Ariosto's Orlando Furioso Italian libretto |
8 January 1735 | London, Covent Garden Theatre | ||
34 | Alcina | After Ariosto's Orlando Furioso Italian libretto |
16 April 1735 | London, Covent Garden Theatre | 1928, Leipzig | |
35 | Atalanta | After Belisario Valeriani Italian libretto |
12 May 1736 | London, Covent Garden Theatre | 1970, Hintlesham Festival, Hintlesham | |
36 | Arminio | After Salvi Italian libretto |
12 January 1737 | London, Covent Garden Theatre | 23 February 1935, Leipzig (in German) | |
37 | Giustino | Adapted from Pariati's Giustino, after Nicolo Beregan's Il Giustino Italian libretto |
16 February 1737 | London, Covent Garden Theatre | 21 April 1963, Abingdon | |
38 | Berenice | After Salvi | 18 May 1737 | London, Covent Garden Theatre | ||
39 | Faramondo | Adapted from Apostolo Zeno's Faramondo Italian libretto |
3 January 1738 | London, King’s Theatre | 5 March 1976, Handel Festival, Halle | |
A 13 | Alessandro Severo | After Apostolo Zeno | 25 February 1738 | London, King’s Theatre | 18 March 1997, Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music, London | Pasticcio |
40 | Serse | After Stampiglia Italian libretto |
15 April 1738 | London, King’s Theatre | 5 July 1924, Handel Festival Göttingen | Also known as Xerxes |
A 14 | Giove in Argo | Antonio Maria Lucchini | 1 May 1739 | London, King’s Theatre | 15 September 2006, Markgräfliches Opernhaus, Bayreuth | Pasticcio |
41 | Imeneo | After Stampiglia's Imeneo | 22 November 1740 | London, theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields | 13 March 1960, Handel Festival, Halle | |
42 | Deidamia | Rolli Italian libretto |
10 January 1741 | London, theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields | ||
49 | Acis and Galatea | John Gay, drawing on John Dryden's translation of "The Story of Acis, Polyphemus and Galatea" from Ovid's Metamorphoses | 1718 | Cannons, Little Stanmore | Variously described as a serenata, a masque, a pastoral opera, a "little opera" (by the composer), an entertainment, and an oratorio |
See also
- Handel House Museum at 25 Brook Street and BBC Radio 3 worked in partnership to celebrate Handel's life and music in 2009, with BBC Radio 3 broadcasting the complete 42 operas, 8 January – 25 July 2009
- List of compositions by George Frideric Handel
- Handel Reference Database
References
- Hicks, Anthony (1992), 'Handel, George Frideric' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
- Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
- Some of the information in this article is taken from the related Dutch Wikipedia article.