Handel. Serse

Handel’s opera Serse is characterised by its ironic libretto, humorous situations, and high number of short arias. The main character is the unpredictably obsessive and volatile King Xerxes, a historical character who ruled the Achemenid Empire from 486 BC to 465 BC. The plot con­cerning the rivalry between Xerxes and his brother, Arsamene, for Romilda, however, is entirely fictional, as is the King’s betrayal of his fiancé, Amastre.

The opera is based on a libretto adapted by the poet Silvio Stampiglia for Giovanni Bononcini, whose setting was staged at Rome’s Teatro di Torre Nona in 1694. Han­del completed his opera in 1738 in little more than a month. However, his typically swift pace and resourceful treatment of musical themes and models should not be misconstrued as complacency, carelessness, or low ima­ginative powers. The autograph manuscript reveals that Handel invested considerable skill in arias that are per­fectly tailored to the dramatic storyline, many of which were meticulously crafted and then redrafted.

Financial Times: “an extremely classy account...Stéphany can compete with the best of today’s mezzos: she com­bines feeling, dignity, elegance...this really is a baroque vocal feast... Curnyn shows such an easy command of the idiom: there is no aggressive accenting or exaggeration of tempo.”