Imeneo, HWV.41
Opera
Imeneo (alternative title: Hymen, HWV 41) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was adapted from Silvio Stampiglia's Imeneo. Handel had begun composition in September 1738, but did not complete the score until 1740.
By the time the work was performed in 1740, Handel had largely moved away from the operatic form in favour of oratorios. Audience reaction was mixed, and the work ran for only two performamces. Two years later, after making substantial changes, Handel presented the work in Dublin, this time billing it as a serenata.
There were no further performances for nearly two centuries, until 1960. The Handel scholar Winton Dean attributes the lack of interest in the work over the years as being due not to any lack of quality, but rather the incomplete and chaotic state of the surviving material, and the absence of any reliable performing edition until that of Donald Burrows in 2002. Dean characterises the opera as "a liitle masterpiece", the best of all Handel's late operas with the exception of Serse.
Synopsis
The opera's setting is "A Pleasant Garden" in Athens. While making their offerings to Ceres, goddess of fertility, the maidens of Athens have been set upon and abducted by pirates. Tirinto laments his lost love, Rosmene, while Argenio, an Athenian Senator, grieves for his daughter Clomiri, a friend of Rosmene.
Imeneo appears and announces that he has freed all the captives. In order to get close to his love Rosmene, he had been part of the maiden group making offerings, disguised in women's clothes, and had been swept up in the abductions. He boasts that while the pirates slept, he took the opportunity to kill them all.
There is general rejoicing, and when Imeneo demands to marry Rosmene in recognition of his great deed, Argenio and his fellow senators agree, telling Rosmene that it is her duty to accept Imeneo. Argenio attempts to persuade her of the power of gratitude by telling her the fable of Androcles and the Lion, in which the lion gratefully kisses Androcles rather than killing him, recognising him as the man who had once removed a thorn from his paw. Rosmene, however, loves Tirinto, and is conflicted between faithfulness to him and duty and gratitude toward Imeneo. Clomiri has feelings for Imeneo, and flirts with him, suggesting that he should transfer his affections to someone who already deeply loves him. But he is resolute and pretends not to understand Clomiri's advances.
Knowing that she must disappoint one of her suitors, Rosmene settles on a device for seemingly delegating the decision to a higher power. Feigning madness, she enacts a vision of Radamanto, one of the judges of the dead in the underworld, who cuts out her heart with his sword. Her heart will choose for her, after hearing from both suitors. She 'faints', and on coming round declares for Imeneo. The chorus sings of the need to bow down not to passion, but to reason; one should not follow feelings and fidelity, but gratitude and honour.
- Atto I
- Atto II
- Atto III
Synopsis from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.