Rodrigo - Schedule, Program & Tickets

Rodrigo

Opera in three acts (1707)

Music by Georg Friedrich Händel

Libretto after Francesco Silvani

Concert performance in Italian

Defeating oneself is the biggest victory, in Italian: Vincer se stesso è la maggior vittoria is the title of Handel's first dramma per musica Rodrigo. King Rodrigo of Spain has a jealous wife in Esilena and a vengeful ex-lover in Florinda who has already given birth to a son. The former does not cease to fight for his love and marital peace, and the latter finds in her brother Giuliano and Rodrigo's enemy Evanco ideal allies to attack their former lover. The conspirators beat Rodrigo, but neither Giuliano nor Evanco can bend his hair, Florinda wants to carry him himself with the sword in the afterlife. It is Esilena who throws herself between the two at the last second - with Florinda's son in her arms, and really Florinda drops the sword, the love for her child wins. Rodrigo is reconnected to his Esilena and vacates the throne; Evanco and Florinda look to a happy future and Giuliano takes over the government until his nephew is grown. It's not just Rodrigo who has conquered himself. Normally short biographies about Handel begin in 1709 with his first successful opera Agrippina, to which he owed his first invitation to England. It is also called 1710 - his arrival in the English metropolis - or 1711 - his sensational debut opera Rinaldo - as the start of his incomparable career in London. His previous study trip through Italy is poorly documented. It is certain that he was in Florence, Rome, Naples and Venice, but only when exactly is unclear. Unclear is also the history of Rodrigo. The Florentine Teatro del Cocomero recorded a performance in the fall of 1707 - whether it was the premiere is not secured. Even the editor of the original libretto Il duello d 'amore e di vendetta is unknown, probably it was the famous librettist Antonio Salvi. Only research and finds since the 1970s completed the only rudimentary surviving material and made a first re-performance in 1984 at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music.

Subject to change.

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