Tigrane, o vero L'egual impegno d'amore e di fede (Tigranes

Tigranes

Tigranes was the name of a number of historical figures, primarily kings of Armenia.The earliest Tigranes is mentioned in the Cyropaedia and in Armenian historical sources. He was an Armenian king from the Orontid Dynasty and an ally of Cyrus the Great. One of his sons was also named Tigranes...

 or The Equal Ties of Love and Faith) is an opera seria

Opera seria

Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...

 in three acts by the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 composer Alessandro Scarlatti

Alessandro Scarlatti

Alessandro Scarlatti was an Italian Baroque composer especially famous for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the founder of the Neapolitan school of opera. He was the father of two other composers, Domenico Scarlatti and Pietro Filippo Scarlatti.-Life:Scarlatti was born in...

 with a 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 Domenico Lalli (loosely based on the Histories of Herodotus

Herodotus

Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...

). It was first performed at the Teatro San Bartolomeo, Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

 on 16 February 1715. It is regarded as one of Scarlatti's finest operas. As well as the serious main plot, there are also comic scenes involving the servants Dorilla and Orcone.

Roles

Cast	Voice type	Premiere cast
Tigrane Prince of Armenia	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...  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...	Nicolo Grimaldi, "Nicolini"
Tomiri Queen of the Massagetae	soprano	Marianna Benti-Bulgarelli, "la Romanina"
Meroe daughter of the late King of Persia	soprano	Angiola Augusti
Policare King of Lydia	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...  (en travesti En travesti Travesti is a theatrical term referring to the portrayal of a character in an opera, play, or ballet by a performer of the opposite sex. Some sources regard 'travesti' as an Italian term, some as French. Depending on sources, the term may be given as travesty, travesti, or en travesti... )	Giovanna Albertini, "la Reggiana"
Doraspe King of Damascus	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...	Gaetano Borghi
Oronte captain of Tomiri's guards	soprano castrato	Nicola Ippolito Cherubini
Dorilla Tomiri's maid	contralto	Santa Marchesini
Orcone a slave	bass	Gioacchino Corrado
The echo	soprano	Angiola Augusti

Act One

Queen Tomiri (Tomyris

Tomyris

Tomyris, from the Persian تهم‌رییش Tahm-Rayiš, was a queen who reigned over the Massagetae, an Iranic people of Central Asia east of the Caspian Sea, in approximately 530 BC.- History :...

in Herodotus) has two sons. One has been kidnapped and brought up as the Armenian prince, Tigrane. The other has been killed by Ciro, King of Persia. To avenge his death, Tomiri has fought and defeated Ciro with the aid of Policare and Doraspe. In return for their help, she has promised to marry one of them, but she is reluctant to come to a decision as she finds herself attracted to Tigrane, a commander in the allied army, unaware he is her son. Ciro's daughter, Meroe, is also in love with Tigrane and arrives at Tomiri's court in disguise, bent on avenging her father. Tomiri entrusts the choice of her husband to Tigrane, who says that whichever of the two kings can beat him in combat will win Tomiri's hand. Policare and Doraspe plot against Tigrane.

Act Two

Tomiri reconciles the two kings and Tigrane. Meroe is about to kill Tomiri as she sleeps when she is prevented by Tigrane. Tigrane, surprised with Meroe's dagger in his hand, is accused of trying to murder Tomiri. Unwilling to reveal the truth, which would endanger Meroe, Tigrane is condemned to death.

Act Three

As Tigrane faces execution, Meroe reveals her true identity. She is led away in chains and Tigrane is freed. The truth about Tigrane's parentage is finally discovered and Tomiri is reunited with her son. She pardons Meroe and allows her to marry Tigrane while the queen herself chooses Policare as her husband.