Ezio HWV 29

As with many other libretti by Pietro Metastasio, 'Ezio' was also set to music several times – besides Handel, by Nicola Porpora in 1728 and Christoph Willibald Gluck in 1750. As the historical events from late antiquity surrounding the Western Roman General Aëtius, who had defeated the Huns under Attila on the Catalaunian Fields, had largely fallen into oblivion by the 18th century, they merely form a backdrop to the highly-dramatic 'Sex and Crime' on the operatic stage. In contrast with the original Roman story, 'Ezio' remains alive at the 'happy ending', and the enthusiastic public experienced this version for the first time on 15 January 1732 in London. However, despite this, the opera only received five performances during Handel's lifetime. Handel took the overture from his incomplete opera 'Titus l'Empereur'. The new vocal score is based on Vol. II/26 of the Halle Handel Edition (BA 4086).