Artaxerxes (opera)

This article is about an opera by Thomas Arne. For a later opera by Josef Mysliveček on the same theme, see Artaserse (Mysliveček). For other operas on the same theme, see Artaserse.

Artaxerxes
Opera by Thomas Arne
Elizabeth Vestris en travesti in the title role in 1827
Librettistprobably Arne
Based onMetastasio's Artaserse
Premiere
2 February 1762 (1762-02-02)
Covent Garden theatre, London

Artaxerxes is an opera in three acts composed by Thomas Arne set to an English adaptation (probably by Arne himself) of Metastasio's 1729 libretto Artaserse.[1] The first English opera seria, Artaxerxes premiered on 2 February 1762 at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden,[1] and continued to be regularly performed until the late 1830s. Its plot is loosely based on the historical figure, Artaxerxes I who succeeded his father Xerxes I after his assassination by Artabanus.

  1. ^ a b University of North Texas Libraries