Which opera by George Frideric Handel premiered at London’s King’s Theatre in 1724?

George Frideric Handel’s opera Giulio Cesare premiered at London’s King’s Theatre in 1724.

The first performance took place on 20 February 1724. The opera’s full Italian title is Giulio Cesare in Egitto, meaning Julius Caesar in Egypt. Nicola Francesco Haym wrote the libretto, adapting earlier texts about Caesar’s campaign in Egypt and his relationship with Cleopatra.

The original cast included the castrato Senesino as Giulio Cesare and the soprano Francesca Cuzzoni as Cleopatra. Their roles helped make the production a major success during Handel’s London opera career. Cleopatra’s music includes the celebrated aria “Piangerò la sorte mia.”

The work is an opera seria, a genre built around serious plots, formal arias, and contrasting recitative. Modern productions usually assign the title role to a mezzo-soprano, contralto, or countertenor rather than a castrato. Handel’s later operas Rodelinda, Alcina, and Serse are separate works from the same London period.