Arminio (HWV 36) is an opera composed by George Frideric Handel. The libretto is based on a libretto of the same name by Antonio Salvi, which had been set to music by Alessandro Scarlatti. It is a fictionalisation of events surrounding the Germanic leader Arminius, who defeated the Romans under Publius Quinctilius Varus at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, and his wife Thusnelda. The opera was performed for the first time at the Covent Garden Theatre on 12 January 1737.
The German-born Handel had brought Italian opera to London stages for the first time in 1711 with his opera Rinaldo . An enormous success, Rinaldo created a craze in London for Italian opera seria, a form focused overwhelmingly on solo arias for the star virtuoso singers. Handel had presented new operas in London for years with great success. One of the major attractions in Handel's operas was the star castrato Senesino whose relationship with the composer was often stormy and who eventually left Handel's company to appear with the rival Opera of the Nobility, set up in 1733 and with the Prince of Wales as a major sponsor. [1] Handel moved to another theatre, Covent Garden, and engaged different singers, but there was not enough of an audience for opera in London, or aristocratic supporters to back it, for two opera houses at once, and both opera companies found themselves in difficulty. [2]
Together with Giustino and Berenice , Arminio is one of three operas Handel wrote within a period of half a year in 1736. He began with the composition of Giustino on 14 August 1736, followed by that of Arminio on 15 September. Having finished Arminio he resumed work on Giustino, which he finished on 20 October. In mid-December, he went on to compose Berenice. Giustino followed Arminio on to the stage in February. [2]
The opera was esteemed by Handel's admirers but not by the ticket-buying public. Anthony Ashley Cooper, 4th Earl of Shaftesbury wrote in a letter that he found Arminio to be "rather grave but correct and labour'd" (well worked-out) "to the highest degree & is a favourite one with Handel.... But I fear 'twill not be acted very long. The Town dont much admire it." [3] Arminio only saw six performances, the last one on 12 February. It was not performed again until it was revived in 1935, at Leipzig. [4]
With the revival of interest in Baroque music and historically informed musical performance since the 1960s, Arminio, like all Handel operas, is performed at festivals and opera houses today. [5] Among other productions, the opera was staged by the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe in 2016. [6]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 12 January 1737 |
|---|---|---|
| Arminio (Arminius), chieftain of a Germanic tribe opposing the Romans | alto castrato | Domenico Annibali |
| Tusnelda (Thusnelda), his wife | soprano | Anna Maria Strada del Pò |
| Sigismondo (Sigismund), son of Segeste, in love with Ramise | soprano castrato | Gioacchino Conti ("Gizziello") |
| Ramise, sister of Arminio | contralto | Francesca Bertolli |
| Segeste, another Germanic chieftain, father of Tusnelda | bass | Henry Reinhold |
| Varo (Varus), Roman general | tenor | John Beard |
| Tullio (Tullius), Roman tribune | contralto | Maria Caterina Negri |
Arminio, chieftain of a Germanic tribe who has taken up arms to fight against the Roman invasion of his country, yields to his wife Tusnelda's entreaties to retire from the field of battle lest they should both be taken prisoner. (Duet: Non è tema).
They leave as Varo and Tullio enter. Tullio informs the Roman general Varo that Arminio has retreated and Varo reveals that he is in love with Arminio's wife Tusnelda. Tullio advises him to forget about such an unworthy passion and fight for Rome's triumph instead (Aria: Non deve Roman petto) but Varo responds that love can inspire great feats of glory (Aria: Al lume di due rai).
Arminio appears, in chains, captured by Segeste, a Germanic chieftain who is collaborating with the Romans and is also Arminio's father-in-law. Arminio denounces Segeste for his treachery and Tusnelda is torn between loyalty to her husband and her father (Aria: Scagliano Amore). Varo demands that Arminio accept subjugation to Rome, but Arminio insists he would rather die and is taken away. Segeste advises that Arminio must be killed to ensure peace with Rome (Aria: Fiaccherò quel fiero orgoglio).
The scene changes to the castle of Segeste, where Sigismondo, his son, has been dreaming of Ramise, Arminio's sister, with whom he is madly in love (Aria: Non sono sempre vane larve). She and Tusnelda appear on the scene and Tusnelda informs them that her father Segeste has handed Arminio over to the Romans. Ramise is greatly distressed by the threat to her brother's life (Aria: Sento il cor per ogni lato). When Sigismondo asks Tusnelda for sympathy in this situation, she points out that his dilemma is nothing as to hers, torn as she is between loyalty to her husband and her father (Aria: E vil segno).
Segeste commands his son to abandon any hope of wedding Ramise but Sigismondo asserts that he would prefer to die (Aria: Posso morir).
Tullio informs Segeste that the Roman general Varo is in love with his daughter and Arminio's wife Tusnelda (Aria: Con quel sangue). Segeste is happy to hear it and looks forward to Varo becoming his new son-in-law once Arminio is dead. Varo appears with a letter from Caesar ordering Arminio's execution and Segeste is eager for this to occur. Arminio once again breathes defiance to Rome (Aria: Sì, cadrò) and is thrown into prison under sentence of death. Tusnelda is beside herself with grief;her father Segeste advises her to tell her husband to submit to Rome and save himself, but she will not (Aria: Al furor).
Ramise denounces Segeste for collaborating with the Romans and sending her brother Arminio to execution and attempts to stab him. Sigismondo intervenes however and saves his father's life, whereupon Ramise bitterly upbraids him. Sigismondo attempts to kill himself but Ramise prevents him from doing so. Ramise is also suffering from divided loyalties between her lover and her brother (Aria: Niente spero) and Sigismondo is likewise torn (Aria: Quella fiamma).
Arminio, in prison, tells Varo that he knows that he loves his wife and gives his blessing for their marriage after his death, which he accepts (Aria: Vado a morir). Tusnelda however tells Varo that the only way he can make her happy is by saving her husband. Varo pledges to do this and Tusnelda swears to be grateful (Aria: Rendimi il dolce sposo).
Arminio is brought to his place of execution but still breathes defiance to Rome (Aria: Ritorno alle ritorte). Segeste is astonished when Varo appears and releases Arminio from his chains so he can die in battle (Aria: Mira il Ciel). However Tullio enters with news that another German chieftain has defeated the Romans and Arminio is returned to prison.
In another room, Tusnelda is contemplating suicide with her husband's sword, but decides to poison herself instead (Aria: Ho veleno). Ramise enters just in time to prevent her and the two ladies agree that they must save Arminio (Duet: Quando più minacci). They appeal to Sigismondo to release Arminio, but he says he cannot, whereupon both ladies threaten to kill themselves. Sigismondo is in despair at his conflicting loyalties (Aria: Il Sangue al cor favella). Tusnelda expresses her anguish (Aria: Tra speme) but is surprised by Arminio, who has been freed from prison, and dashes off to fight the Romans with his sword which has been restored to him by Sigismondo.(Aria: Fatto scorta al sentier ).
Ramise is afraid of Segeste's reaction to what his son has done and urges him to flee but Sigismondo refuses. When Segeste appears, furious at his son's action, Ramise lies that she was the person who restored Arminio's sword to him. Segeste has both his son and Ramise thrown into prison as Sigismondo breathes defiance to his father (Aria: Impara a non temer). Ramise is happy to share her lover's tribulations (Aria: Voglio seguir lo sposo).
Tullio informs Segeste that Arminio has killed Varo, defeated the Romans, and occupied his castle. Tullio thinks they should escape while they can, but Segeste instead denounces his son as a traitor and attempts to kill him. Arminio enters just in time to prevent this; he and Sigismondo implore Segeste to relent in his anger and promise to forgive him if he does. Segeste, overwhelmed by their kindness, agrees. Arminio and Tusnelda rejoice in their reunion (Duet: Ritorna nel core vezzosa) and all celebrate the fortunate turn of events (Chorus: A capir tante dolcezze). [2]
| Year | Cast: Arminio, Tusnelda, Ramise, Sigismondo, Varo, Tullio, Segeste | Conductor, Orchestra | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Vivica Genaux, Geraldine Mcgreevy, Manuela Custer, Dominique Labelle, Luigi Petroni, Sytse Buwalda, Riccardo Ristori | Alan Curtis, Il Complesso Barocco | CD: Erato Cat: 5454612 |
| 2016 | Max Emanuel Cencic, Layla Claire, Ruxandra Donose, Vince Yi, Juan Sancho, Xavier Sabata, Petros Magoulas | Armonia Atenea, George Petrou | CD: Decca Cat: 478 8764DH2 [8] |
| 2016 | Christopher Lowrey, Anna Devin, Helena Rasker, Sophie Junker, Paul Hopwood, Owen Willetts, Cody Quattlebaum | Laurence Cummings, FestspielOrchester Göttingen | CD: Accent Cat: 26409 |
| Year | Cast: Arminio, Tusnelda, Ramise, Sigismondo, Varo, Tullio, Segeste | Conductor, Orchestra, Stage director | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Max Emanuel Cencic, Lauren Snouffer, Gaia Petrone, Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk, Juan Sancho, Owen Willetts, Pavel Kudinov | Armonia Atenea, George Petrou | Blu-ray: C Major Cat: 744408; 744504 [9] |
Germanicus Julius Caesar was an ancient Roman general and politician most famously known for his campaigns in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicus was born into an influential branch of the patrician gens Claudia. The agnomen Germanicus was added to his full name in 9 BC when it was posthumously awarded to his father in honor of his victories in Germania. In AD 4 he was adopted by his paternal uncle Tiberius, who succeeded Augustus as Roman emperor a decade later. As a result, Germanicus became an official member of the gens Julia, another prominent family, to which he was related on his mother's side. His connection to the Julii Caesares was further consolidated through a marriage between him and Agrippina the Elder, a granddaughter of Augustus. He was also the father of Caligula, the maternal grandfather of Nero, and the older brother of Claudius.
Arminius was a chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe who is best known for commanding an alliance of Germanic tribes at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, in which three Roman legions under the command of general Publius Quinctilius Varus were destroyed. His victory at Teutoburg Forest would precipitate the Roman Empire's permanent strategic withdrawal from Germania Magna. Modern historians have regarded Arminius's victory as one of Rome's greatest defeats. As it prevented the Romanization of Germanic peoples east of the Rhine, it has also been considered one of the most decisive battles in history and a turning point in human history.
The Cherusci were a Germanic tribe that inhabited parts of the plains and forests of northwestern Germany in the area of the Weser River and present-day Hanover during the first centuries BC and AD. Roman sources reported they considered themselves kin with other Irmino tribes and claimed common descent from an ancestor called Mannus. During the early Roman Empire under Augustus, the Cherusci first served as allies of Rome and sent sons of their chieftains to receive Roman education and serve in the Roman army as auxiliaries. The Cherusci leader Arminius led a confederation of tribes in the ambush that destroyed three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9. He was subsequently kept from further damaging Rome by disputes with the Marcomanni and reprisal attacks led by Germanicus. After rebel Cherusci killed Arminius in AD 21, infighting among the royal family led to the highly Romanized line of his brother Flavus coming to power. Following their defeat by the Chatti around AD 88, the Cherusci do not appear in further accounts of the German tribes, apparently being absorbed into the late classical groups such as the Saxons, Thuringians, Franks, Bavarians, and Allemanni.
Semele is a 'musical drama', originally presented "after the manner of an oratorio", in three parts by George Frideric Handel. Based on an existing opera libretto by William Congreve, the work is an opera in all but name but was first presented in concert form at Covent Garden theatre on 10 February 1744. The story comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses and concerns Semele, mother of Bacchus. Handel also referred to the work as 'The Story of Semele'. The work contains the famous aria "Where'er you walk".
Giulio Cesare in Egitto ; pronounced [ˈdʒuːljo ˈtʃeːzare in eˈdʒitto, - ˈtʃɛː-]; HWV 17), commonly known as Giulio Cesare, is a dramma per musica in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel for the Royal Academy of Music in 1724. The libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym who used an earlier libretto by Giacomo Francesco Bussani, which had been set to music by Antonio Sartorio (1676). The opera was a success at its first performances, was frequently revived by Handel in his subsequent opera seasons and is now one of the most often performed Baroque operas.
Rodelinda, regina de' Longobardi is an opera seria in three acts composed for the first Royal Academy of Music by George Frideric Handel. The libretto is by Nicola Francesco Haym, based on an earlier libretto by Antonio Salvi. Rodelinda has long been regarded as one of Handel's greatest works.
Segestes was a nobleman of the Germanic tribe of the Cherusci involved in the events surrounding the Roman attempts to conquer northern Germany during the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus.
Thusnelda was a Germanic Cheruscan noblewoman who was captured by the Roman general Germanicus during his invasion of Germania. She was the wife of Arminius. Tacitus and Strabo cite her capture as evidence of both the firmness and restraint of Roman arms.
Giustino is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The opera was first given at the Covent Garden Theatre in London on 16 February 1737. The Italian-language libretto was adapted from Charles VI's court poet Pietro Pariati's libretto for Giustino (1711), after the much older original libretto of Nicolò Beregan (1682). The libretto had already been adapted by many composers including Vivaldi's Giustino of 1724 and Tomaso Albinoni's lost opera of 1711.
Alessandro Severo is an opera by George Frideric Handel composed in 1738. It is one of Handel's three pasticcio works, made up of the music and arias of his previous operas Giustino, Berenice and Arminio. Only the overture and recitatives were new. The impresario Johann Jacob Heidegger probably selected the 1717 libretto by Apostolo Zeno, originally written for Antonio Lotti and re-used by many composers thereafter.
Ottone, re di Germania is an opera by George Frideric Handel, to an Italian–language libretto adapted by Nicola Francesco Haym from the libretto by Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino for Antonio Lotti's opera Teofane. It was the first new opera written for the Royal Academy of Music (1719)'s fourth season and had its first performance on 12 January 1723 at the King's Theatre, Haymarket in London. Handel had assembled a cast of operatic superstars for this season and the opera became an enormous success.
Oreste is an opera by George Frideric Handel in three acts. The libretto was anonymously adapted from Giangualberto Barlocci’s L’Oreste, which was in turn adapted from Euripides' Iphigeneia in Tauris.
Thumelicus was the only son of the Cherusci leader Arminius and his wife Thusnelda, daughter of the pro-Roman tribal leader Segestes.
Anna Maria Strada was an Italian soprano. She is best remembered for her association with the composer George Frideric Handel, in whose operas Strada sang.
Ezio is an opera seria by George Frideric Handel to a libretto by Metastasio. Metastasio's libretto was partly inspired by Jean Racine's play Britannicus. The same libretto had already been set by many other composers, first of all Nicola Porpora who managed to preempt the official Rome premiere of Pietro Auletta's setting for 26 December 1728 with his own version for Venice on 20 November, a month earlier. The libretto continued to be set and reset for another 50 years, including two versions of Ezio by Gluck. Handel's Ezio is considered one of the purest examples of opera seria with its absence of vocal ensembles.
Silla is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was by Giacomo Rossi. The story concerns the Roman dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla as recounted by Plutarch.
Domenico Annibali was an Italian castrato who had an active international career from 1725–1764. He began his career in his native country and was then committed to the Grosses Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden from 1729 until his retirement from the stage 35 years later. In Dresden he excelled in the operas of Johann Adolf Hasse, notably creating roles in the premieres of two of his operas. He was also admired there in works by Nicola Porpora.
Italicus was a chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci. He is chiefly remembered as the nephew of Arminius.
Julius Segimundus was a nobleman of the Germanic Cherusci.
Barbarians is a 2020 German historical war drama television series created by Andreas Heckmann, Arne Nolting, and Jan Martin Scharf. It stars Laurence Rupp, Jeanne Goursaud, and David Schütter. The series is a fictionalized account of events during the Roman Empire's occupation of Germania, and the resulting rebellion of the Germanic tribes led by Arminius. The series was renewed for season 2 on November 10, 2020. It was released on Netflix on October 21, 2022.
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