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
+List of operas by George Frideric Handel. All are opera seria in three acts, unless otherwise stated.HWVTitleLibrettoPremière datePremière place, theatreModern revivalNotes1Almira (Der in Krohnen erlangte Glücks-Wechsel, oder: Almira, Königin von Castilien)Friedrich Christian Feustking, after Giulio Pancieri8 January 1705Hamburg, Oper am Gänsemarkt4 June 1994, Handel Festival, Bad LauchstädtSome music lost; announced as a Singspiel but has no spoken dialogue2Nero (Die durch Blut und Mord erlangete Liebe)Friedrich Christian Feustking25 February 1705Hamburg, Oper am Gänsemarkt Music lost3Florindo (Der beglückte Florindo)Hinrich HinschJanuary 1708Hamburg, Oper am Gänsemarkt 1 arias preserved4Daphne (Die verwandelte Daphne)Hinrich HinschJanuary 1708Hamburg, Oper am Gänsemarkt A sequel to Florindo, intended to be performed on the day after it. 1 aria and 1 chorus preserved5Rodrigo (Vincer se stesso è la maggior vittoria)After Francesco Silvani's II duello d'Amore e di VendettaItalian librettoAutumn 1707Florence, Teatro di via del Cocomero1984, InnsbruckSome music is lost6AgrippinaVincenzo Grimani26 December 1709Venice, Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo1943, Halle 7a/bRinaldoGiacomo Rossi, after Aaron Hill, after Tasso, La Gerusalemme liberataItalian libretto24 February 1711London, Queen's TheatreJune 1954, Handel Festival, HalleHWV 7b is the 1731 revision; the libretto of a revision of 1717 also exists8a/b/cIl pastor fidoGiacomo Rossi, after Giovanni Battista Guarini8b Italian libretto, 8c Italian libretto22 November 1712London, Queen's Theatre20 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.9TeseoNicola Francesco Haym, after Philippe Quinault's libretto for ThéséeItalian libretto10 January 1713London, Queen's Theatre29 June 1947, Handel Festival Göttingen5 acts10SillaGiacomo Rossi, after Plutarch's Life of SullaItalian libretto2 June 1713?London, Queen's Theatre? (or Burlington House?) Much of the music was re-used in Amadigi11Amadigi di GaulaRossi or Haym (?), after Antoine Houdar de la Motte's Amadis de Grèce, 1699Italian libretto25 May 1715London, King's TheatreOsnabrück, 1929Various additions during the initial run and the revivals of 1716 and 171712a/bRadamistoHaym (?), after Domenico Lalli's L'amor tirannico, o ZenobiaItalian libretto27 April 1720London, King's Theatre27 June 1927, Handel Festival GöttingenLibrettos of the revised versions of December 1720 and 1728 exist13Muzio ScevolaPaolo Antonio Rolli, after a reworking of a Nicolò Minato libretto by Silvio StampigliaItalian libretto15 April 1721London, King's Theatre1928, Essen (Act 3 only)only Act 3 is by Handel14FloridanteRolli, after Francesco Silvani's La costanza in trionfoItalian libretto9 December 1721London, King's Theatre10 May 1962, Unicorn Theatre, AbingdonRevised versions premiered in 1722, 1727 and 173315OttoneHaym, after Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino's libretto for Antonio Lotti's opera TeofaneItalian libretto12 January 1723London, King's Theatre5 July 1921, Handel Festival GöttingenRevised versions premiered in 1726 and 173316FlavioHaym, after M. Noris's Il Flavio CunibertoItalian libretto14 May 1723London, King's Theatre2 July 1967, Handel Festival GöttingenThe libretto of the revised version of 1732 exists17Giulio CesareHaymItalian libretto20 February 1724London, King's Theatre1922, Handel Festival Göttingen 18TamerlanoHaym, after Agostin Piovene and Nicholas PradonItalian libretto31 October 1724London, King's Theatre7 September 1924, Karlsruhe 19RodelindaHaym, after Antonio Salvi, after Pierre Corneille's play Pertharite, roi des LombardsItalian libretto13 February 1725London, King's Theatre26 June 1920, Handel Festival Göttingen 20ScipioneRolliItalian libretto12 March 1726London, King's Theatre1937, Handel Festival Göttingen 21AlessandroRolli, after Ortensio MauroItalian libretto5 May 1726London, King's Theatre1959, Stuttgart (in German) 22AdmetoHaymItalian libretto31 January 1727London, King's Theatre1964, Abingdon 23Riccardo PrimoRolli, after Francesco BrianiItalian libretto11 November 1727London, King's Theatre8 July 1964, Sadler's Wells Theatre (Handel Opera Society), London 24SiroeHaym, after MetastasioItalian libretto17 February 1728London, King's TheatreDecember 1925, Gera 25TolomeoHaym, adapted from Carlo Sigismondo CapeceItalian libretto30 April 1728London, King's Theatre19 June 1938, Handel Festival Göttingen 26LotarioAfter Antonio SalviItalian libretto2 December 1729London, King's Theatre3 September 1975, Kenton Theatre, Henley-on-Thames 27PartenopeAfter Silvio StampigliaItalian libretto24 February 1730London, King's Theatre23 June 1935, Handel Festival Göttingen 28PoroAfter MetastasioItalian libretto2 February 1731London, King's Theatre1928, Braunschweig 29EzioMetastasioItalian libretto15 January 1732London, King's Theatre30 June 1926, Handel Festival Göttingen 30SosarmeAfter SalviItalian libretto15 February 1732London, King's Theatre1970, AbingdonFirst draft, Fernando, Re Di Castiglia, revived in 2007 by Il Complesso Barocco31OrlandoAfter Capece, after Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando furiosoItalian libretto27 January 1733London, King's Theatre6 May 1959, Abingdon 32Arianna in CretaAfter Pietro Pariati's Arianna e Teseo26 January 1734London, King's Theatre A 11OresteAfter Giangualberto Barlocci18 December 1734London, Covent Garden Theatre1990, KarlsruhePasticcio33AriodanteAfter Salvi, after Ariosto's Orlando FuriosoItalian libretto8 January 1735London, Covent Garden Theatre 34AlcinaAfter Ariosto's Orlando FuriosoItalian libretto16 April 1735London, Covent Garden Theatre1928, Leipzig 35AtalantaAfter Belisario ValerianiItalian libretto12 May 1736London, Covent Garden Theatre1970, Hintlesham Festival, Hintlesham 36ArminioAfter SalviItalian libretto12 January 1737London, Covent Garden Theatre23 February 1935, Leipzig (in German) 37GiustinoAdapted from Pariati's Giustino, after Nicolo Beregan's Il GiustinoItalian libretto16 February 1737London, Covent Garden Theatre21 April 1963, Abingdon 38BereniceAfter Salvi18 May 1737London, Covent Garden Theatre 39FaramondoAdapted from Apostolo Zeno's FaramondoItalian libretto3 January 1738London, King's Theatre5 March 1976, Handel Festival, Halle A 13Alessandro SeveroAfter Apostolo Zeno25 February 1738London, King's Theatre18 March 1997, Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music, LondonPasticcio40SerseAfter StampigliaItalian libretto15 April 1738London, King's Theatre5 July 1924, Handel Festival GöttingenAlso known as XerxesA 14Giove in ArgoAntonio Maria Lucchini1 May 1739London, King's Theatre15 September 2006, Markgräfliches Opernhaus, BayreuthPasticcio41ImeneoAfter Stampiglia's Imeneo22 November 1740London, theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields13 March 1960, Handel Festival, Halle 42DeidamiaRolliItalian libretto10 January 1741London, theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields
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 Handel's lost Hamburg operas 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) Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 782 pages, Some of the information in this article is taken from the related Dutch Wikipedia article.
External links Handel House – Listing of operas with pages on each one.