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. Though his large scale English language works written for the theatre are technically oratorios and not operas, several of them, such as Semele (1744), have become an important part of the opera repertoire. Other English language oratorios which are sometimes fully staged as operas include Saul, Samson, Hercules, Belshazzar, Theodora and Jephtha.

Parnasso in festa, a festa teatrale composed by Handel to an Italian text and performed in London to celebrate the royal wedding of Anne, Princess Royal and Prince William of Orange in 1734, has many characteristics of an opera.

List of works

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List of operas by George Frideric Handel. 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: Almira, Königin von Castilien) Friedrich Christian Feustking, after Giulio Pancieri 8 January 1705 Hamburg, Oper 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, Oper am Gänsemarkt   Music lost
3 Florindo (Der beglückte Florindo) Hinrich Hinsch January 1708 Hamburg, Oper am Gänsemarkt   Almost all of the music is lost
4 Daphne (Die verwandelte Daphne) Hinrich Hinsch January 1708 Hamburg, Oper 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		 30 October 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[permanent dead link‍]		 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 First draft, Fernando, Re Di Castiglia, revived in 2007 by Il Complesso Barocco
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

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References

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  • 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.
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