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Set in the Persian court, Artabano murders King Serse and accuses the king’s son Dario. He seeks to eliminate the rest of the royal family and persuades Artaserse to avenge the murder. A succession of events exposes the treason.
Regolo returns from Carthaginian captivity to urge Rome to reject peace, bound by an oath to return if his mission fails. His daughter Attilia and others try to save him, but he refuses to put family affection above civic duty; when the Senate rejects the offer, he prepares to return to Carthage, though Romans prevent his departure and bid him farewell.
After Pompey’s defeat, Cato and his allies retreat to Utica. Julius Caesar seeks Cato’s friendship and hopes to marry his daughter Marzia, who secretly loves him, but Cato has promised her to the Numidian prince Arbace. Pompey’s widow Emilia schemes against the match. Cato refuses to abandon his republican principles and dies by suicide rather than submit to Caesar.
After Poros is defeated by Alexander, Queen Cleofide tries to secure peace while Poros repeatedly doubts her loyalty. Disguises, jealousy and Timagenes’ conspiracy complicate the conflict until Alexander exposes the plot and grants Poros and Cleofide their freedom and realm.
A distinct setting or adaptation of Pietro Metastasio’s Demetrio libretto by Johann Adolph Hasse. Premiered on 10 February 1732 at Teatro San Giovanni Crisostomo, Venice; later reworked, including performances under the title Cleonice. No version-specific plot is supplied.
Johann Adolph Hasse’s Italian opera sets Metastasio’s libretto Didone abbandonata, a story also set by numerous other composers.
Set in the Persian court, Artabano murders King Serse and accuses the king’s son Dario. He seeks to eliminate the rest of the royal family and persuades Artaserse to avenge the murder. A succession of events exposes the treason.
Regolo returns from Carthaginian captivity to urge Rome to reject peace, bound by an oath to return if his mission fails. His daughter Attilia and others try to save him, but he refuses to put family affection above civic duty; when the Senate rejects the offer, he prepares to return to Carthage, though Romans prevent his departure and bid him farewell.
After Pompey’s defeat, Cato and his allies retreat to Utica. Julius Caesar seeks Cato’s friendship and hopes to marry his daughter Marzia, who secretly loves him, but Cato has promised her to the Numidian prince Arbace. Pompey’s widow Emilia schemes against the match. Cato refuses to abandon his republican principles and dies by suicide rather than submit to Caesar.
After Poros is defeated by Alexander, Queen Cleofide tries to secure peace while Poros repeatedly doubts her loyalty. Disguises, jealousy and Timagenes’ conspiracy complicate the conflict until Alexander exposes the plot and grants Poros and Cleofide their freedom and realm.
A distinct setting or adaptation of Pietro Metastasio’s Demetrio libretto by Johann Adolph Hasse. Premiered on 10 February 1732 at Teatro San Giovanni Crisostomo, Venice; later reworked, including performances under the title Cleonice. No version-specific plot is supplied.
Johann Adolph Hasse’s Italian opera sets Metastasio’s libretto Didone abbandonata, a story also set by numerous other composers.
A serenata by J. A. Hasse, titled Aeneas in Chaonia in English, to a libretto by Luigi Maria Stampiglia.
Ruggiero, missing after defending Bulgaria, returns to Paris after being rescued by Leone, the Greek emperor. Leone loves Bradamante, who vows to marry only a man who can defeat her in combat, while Ruggiero is torn between his love for her and his debt to Leone. Leone asks Ruggiero to fight Bradamante in disguise. After Leone wins the contest, Bradamante believes she has lost Ruggiero, but Leone reveals Ruggiero’s sacrifice and confesses that he had already pledged his heart to Clotilde. Emperor Carlo blesses both couples: Ruggiero and Bradamante, and Clotilde and Leone.
Johann Adolph Hasse’s setting of Metastasio’s libretto draws on the myth underlying Aeschylus’ Suppliants. The available text does not describe the plot.
Leucippo falls in love with Dafne, a priestess who has taken a vow of chastity. The three-act pastoral opera explores the conflict between love and duty.
Based on the Pyramus and Thisbe story, this opera presents their love as a sentimental tragedy. After Tisbe’s father forbids their relationship, both lovers kill themselves. The father, blaming himself for their deaths, also takes his own life.
Loosely based on the legendary Rape of the Sabine Women, the opera centers on Romolo, founder and ruler of Rome, and Ersilia, a Sabine princess betrothed to him.
A pasticcio setting of Silvio Stampiglia’s Partenope libretto, assembled with arias attributed to Vivaldi, Handel, Hasse, Pergolesi and other Venetian composers. No independent plot summary is given.
Medarse plots to supplant Siroe as heir to the Persian throne. Siroe loves Emira, who is disguised as a man, while Laodice loves Siroe; Cosroe ultimately recognizes Siroe and Emira’s loyalty and names Siroe the new king.
Suleiman the Magnificent suspects his eldest son Selim of treason and prepares to punish him. He later recognizes his error and spares Selim; the two brothers are reconciled and marry Persian princesses Narsea and Emira.
Johann Adolph Hasse’s opera uses an anonymously reworked libretto related to Francesco Silvani’s text, also used in Vivaldi’s opera of the same title. The available text does not provide the plot.
A distinct musical setting of Pietro Metastasio’s Siface re di Numidia libretto by Johann Adolph Hasse. Premiered on 24 January 1739 at Teatro San Giovanni Crisostomo, Venice, with libretto adapted by Domenico Lalli. The source provides no version-specific plot description.
Johann Adolph Hasse’s 1761 opera sets a libretto by Pietro Metastasio about the ancient queen Zenobia.