Berenice (opera)
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Berenice, regina d'Egitto (Berenice, Queen of Egypt) (HWV 38) is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Antonio Salvi originally written in Italy in 1709.
It was first performed at the Covent Garden Theatre in London on 18 May 1737. It was not successful. It was only given four times.
It is based upon the life of Cleopatra Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy IX (the main character in Handel's opera Tolomeo) and is set in around 81 BC.
[edit] Roles
| Premiere 1737 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Berenice, Queen of Egypt | soprano | Anna Maria Strada |
| Selene, her sister | alto | Francesca Bertolli |
| Alessandro, a Roman nobleman | soprano castrato | Gioacchino Conti, called Gizziello |
| Demetrio, a prince | alto castrato | Domenico Annibali |
| Arsace, another prince | alto | Maria Caterina Negri |
| Fabio, Roman messenger | tenor | John Beard |
| Aristobolo, captain | bass | Henry Theodore Reinhold |
[edit] Recording
A studio recording with Julianne Baird (soprano), Jan Opalach (bass), D'Anna Fortunato (mezzo-soprano) and Drew Minter (countertenor), with the Brewer Baroque Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rudolph Palmer, was released on compact disc in 1995 (Newport Classics 1161828).
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