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Programme Note

Alessandro Severo was the second of the two pasticcio operas arranged by Handel entirely from his own music. It was first performed at the King’s Theatre, Haymarket, in 1738, The work was not revived until its production at the Royal College of Music, London, in 1997. The libretto was originally written by Apostolo Zeno (1668-1750) for a production with music by Antonio Lotti in Venice, probably 1716. The action takes place in Rome around 223 AD, shortly after Alexander’s marriage to Salustia, and on the anniversary of his succession to the throne.