London Handel Festival: Admeto, re di Tessaglia

A rare concert performance of the 1727 opera Admeto, re di Tessaglia at the church where Handel himself worshipped. The story is based on the Euripedes tragedy, Alcestis, which was also produced for a city’s festival.

Set in ancient Thessaly, Admeto is a tale of sacrifice, desire, and love twisted into a triangle. A king saved from certain death. A queen who pays for it with her life. A rival who seizes her chance to take her place.

Premiered 300 years ago, and fuelled by the notorious rivalry between Handel’s two reigning sopranos, Cuzzoni and Bordoni, Admeto became an overnight hit.

Featuring some of Handel’s most ravishing arias, this rarely heard operatic gem brings to life one of baroque opera’s great entangled love stories.