10 Handel Operas Everyone Should Know

The story of Nero and Poppea was made famous by Monteverdi in "l'ncoronazione di Poppea", which describes Poppea’s ascent to the throne of the Roman empire. But Handel’s opera tells the story of Nero’s ambitious mother, Agrippina. In this aria, Agrippina says that her son will achieve his lofty goals of obtaining power, comparing him to a ship that is guided by every wind safely to harbor despite the tempests that threaten it. The voice sails like a ship over a sea of smooth strings.

Handel’s "Rinaldo" recounts episodes from Tasso’s great epic "Jerusalem Delivered" about the first Crusades. Armida, a Saracen sorceress captures Rinaldo, a Christian warrior. In the opera, she makes quite the grand entrance, arriving in a fiery chariot. For the occasion, Handel composed the entrance aria “Furie terribili,” one of many magical pieces in this magical opera. The strings create strikingly different wind effects than in “Ogni vento” from "Agrippina." The vocal pyrotechnics flash like lightening.

Medea, one of mythology’s most menacing figures, is central to the plot of "Teseo." In the story, based on the same libretto as Lully’s earlier "Thésée", Medea loves Teseo. He loves someone else, Princess Agilea. Ultimately in her rage, Medea burns down the palace, but luckily Minerva descends ex machina to save the day. One of Medea’s most furious arias is "Sibilando, ululando, fulminate, la rival.” The same singer who originated the role of Armida in "Rinaldo" created the character of Medea, so it’s not surprising that Handel used similar music for these similar characters. "Sibilando,” however, is actually adapted from an aria from one of Handel’s early Italian cantatas that happens to be about Agrippina.

“Ombra cara,” a lament for the title character in "Radamisto", is one of Handel’s most gorgeous and lyrical arias. Radamisto’s wife, Zenobia, has just thrown herself into a river and he thinks all hope is lost. (Because it’s opera there’s a plot twist – Zenobia is rescued so that the two can be reunited for a happy ending!) Anyone who thinks Handel is all melisma will think twice after listening to “Ombra cara.” Much of the vocal line is set with one note per syllable. And, of course, the aria’s hallmark is the single, sustained pitch that opens it. Sustaining single pitches over several measures while the orchestra moves under them allows singers to show off their technique. While it’s just one note, how they shape and color it is up to them.

One of the most frequently revived Handel operas in our own time is Handel’s "Giulio Cesare", which describes the love affair between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. The opera is an incredible showcase for singers. Cleopatra, in particular, has so many distinctive arias that she may be one of the most complex characters in all of Handel’s operas. The opera ends with the union between Cleopatra and Caesar meaning, of course, not one, but two duets. The final duet occurs in the middle of a grand chorus. However, the extended duet that occurs just before, "Caro! / Bella! Piu amabile beltà" is even more stunning.

In "Admeto", the title character must choose between his wife Alcestis, who has sacrificed her life for him, and Antigone, who was his promised bride before he married Alcestis. Admeto has some of the most extended accompagnato and arioso scenes in any of Handel’s opera. However, Antigone and Admeto’s brother, Trasimede, both have some spectacular arias, too. When Trasimede first encounters Antigone, he says that she is so beautiful that if she were carrying a bow and arrow, he would mistake her for the goddess Diana. The aria shows Handel’s skill at composing hunting music.

The femme fatales aren’t the only characters who get incredible mad scenes in Handel’s operas. "Orlando" is inspired by the epic poem "Orlando furioso" by Ariosto. In this medieval romance, the character is driven mad by jealous love. Orlando’s mad scene “Ah! Stigie larve… Vaghe pupille” is one of the most incredible in any opera. It begins with an accompagnato and then proceeds into an aria, though Handel abandons the da capo form popular at the time for the rondo. It has many contrasting sections that repeat in alternation, depicting Orlando’s mania.

"Alcina" is another “Orlando opera” since the story comes from Ariosto. [Handel wrote a third "Orlando opera", "Ariodante".] The character of Alcina is a sorceress who lives on a magic island where she lures men, loves them, and then transforms them into anything she wants: rocks, animals, plants, anything! The dramaturgical inspiration for Alcina is Homer’s Circe, though Alcina also inspired other characters like Tasso’s Armida. Alcina, like other enchantresses, has quite enchanting music. She expresses her jealous rage in the show-stopping aria "Crude furie degli orridi abissi.”

Handel’s "Berenice" was composed during a season when Handel’s opera company had just financially collapsed, as did the company of his rivals, known as the Opera of the Nobility. The two companies joined together to present an opera season together. Berenice contains a lot of remarkable music because he was working with musicians that he might not ordinarily, and shows some of their stylistic influence. The title character performs the show piece “Chi t'intende? o cieca instabile!” which is remarkable for many reasons. It contains several music ideas, and changes tempo many times. Anyone who says Handel’s arias only have one affekt or musical and emotional idea won’t think so after hearing this piece. These abrupt changes in musical style, as well as the rhythms, show the stylistic influence of some of the Opera of the Nobility composers. Besides the interesting form of the work, the aria also has a splendid solo for oboe – making it more of a duet than an aria.

"Serse" was composed the same fateful season as "Berenice". While "Berenice" has not been revived often in our own time, "Serse" has. It is considered by many to be Handel’s only comedy, though in truth even his opera serie often have tragicomic elements. "Serse" contains so much gorgeous music that it’s understandable why audiences love it hundreds of years after it premiered. There’s so much variety, the arias tend to be shorter, and of course, there’s some good comedy, too. But it’s not all jokes. There are many tender moments, and few angry expressions of anger. In "Crude furie degli orridi abissi,” the title character is full of rage.