Sosarme, re di Media is an opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 by George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...

 written for the Royal Academy of Music (1719). The text was based on an earlier libretto

Libretto

A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...

 by Antonio Salvi

Antonio Salvi

Antonio Salvi was an Italian physician, court poet and librettist. He was in the service of the ducal court in Florence and the favourite librettist of Prince Ferdinando de' Medici. Salvi was one of the developers of the opera seria.- Life :Salvi was a court physician in Florence for the De'...

, Dionisio, Re di Portogallo (Dionisius, King of Portugal), and adapted by an unknown writer. Composed in 1732, the original setting of Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 was changed to Sardis

Sardis

Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province...

 in Lydia. It was revived in 1734 with aria

Aria

An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...

s from Riccardo Primo

Riccardo Primo

Riccardo primo, re d’Inghilterra is an opera in three acts written for the Royal Academy of Music by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was by Paolo Antonio Rolli, after Francesco Briani's Isacio tiranno, set by Antonio Lotti in 1710...

. The first revival since 1734 was in 1970 at Abingdon, UK.

Critical appreciation

Winton Dean has commented on dramatic weaknesses of the work, including the delayed entrance of Sosarme in the story and his minimal influence on the plot's action, and weak character development. He has also acknowledged the quality of musical inspiration within these limitations.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, ? (Conductor: - )
Sosarme	alto Alto Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...  castrato Castrato A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...	Senesino Senesino Senesino was a celebrated Italian contralto castrato, particularly remembered today for his long collaboration with the composer George Frideric Handel.-Early life and career:...
Erenice	soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...	Anna Bagnolesi
Argone, son of Sosarme	alto castrato	Campioli
Melo	contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...	Francesca Bertolli Francesca Bertolli Francesca Bertolli was an Italian contralto of the 18th century. She is best remembered for her association with the composer George Frideric Handel, in whose operas she sang....
Altomaro, counsellor to Sosarme	bass	Antonio Montagnana Antonio Montagnana Antonio Montagnana was an Italian bass of the 18th-century who is best remembered for his association with the composer George Frideric Handel, whose operas Montagnana sang in....
Elmira, beloved of Sosarme	soprano	Anna Maria Strada Anna Maria Strada Anna Maria Strada was an Italian soprano of the 18th century. She is best remembered for her association with the composer George Frideric Handel, in whose operas Strada sang.-Career:...
Haliate	tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...	Giovanni Pinacci

Recordings

• L'Oiseau Lyre OL 50091-3 (original LP issue): Alfred Deller
  Alfred Deller
  Alfred George Deller CBE , was an English singer and one of the main figures in popularizing the return of the countertenor voice in Renaissance and Baroque music during the 20th Century....
  
  , Margaret Ritchie, Helen Watts, William Herbert, Ian Wallace, Nancy Evans, John Kentish; St. Anthony Singers; Saint Cecilia Orchestra; Anthony Lewis
  Anthony Lewis (musician)
  Sir Anthony Carey Lewis KBE was an English conductor, composer, editor, and music educator. He is best known for co-founding and serving as the first chief editor of Musica Britannica...
  
  , conductor
• Virgin Classics, 2007 - Fernando, re di Castiglia, the original version of Sosarme - 0946 3 65483 2 6 : Alan Curtis
  Alan Curtis
  Alan Curtis may refer to:* Alan Curtis , American film actor* Alan Curtis , English actor and announcer* Alan Curtis , former Welsh international footballer...
  
  , conductor