OTTONE BY GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL. Conducted by Václav Luks.

Opera in three acts
Libretto: Nicola Francesco Haym, after Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino
World premiere: 12 January 1723, King’s Theatre, Haymarket, London

Sung in Italian with German and English surtitles

Pre-performance talks (in German) in the Holzfoyer 30 minutes before the performance; shortly after the premiere, they will also be available here and on all major podcast platforms.

Ottone is to marry Teofane – but no one has reckoned with the ambitious Gismonda, who is plotting to place her son Adelberto on the throne. When marriage politics turn into a dirty game…

The libretto of Ottone is based on a fictional story incorporating elements inspired by the historical marriage of the German emperor Otto II and the Byzantine princess Theophanu. It draws on texts by Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, written for Antonio Lotti’s opera Teofane. Handel probably saw the work in Dresden while recruiting singers for other projects. Coincidentally, Lotti’s young bride and leading lady also becomes the central figure of Handel’s opera – once again confronted with the customary complications and romantic entanglements.

Preparations for the 1723 world premiere in London were far from straightforward, as the composer had to accommodate the demands of the celebrated Italian singers he had engaged. The result is a finely woven musical fabric filled with refined, elegant and intimate arias, accompanied by a relatively small orchestra and enriched by unforgettable melodies.

It is therefore hardly surprising that Handel’s third opera for London’s Royal Academy was another tremendous success with audiences and, together with Rinaldo, became one of his most frequently performed operas during his lifetime.

A rarely performed work that deserves to be rediscovered!

Premiere: 11 October 2026 at the Opera House

Running time: 3 hours

Yuriy Mynenko – Ottone
Monika Buczkowska-Ward – Teofane
Paula Murrihy – Gismonda
Iurii Iushkevich – Adelberto
Cecelia Hall – Matilda
Jonas Müller – Emireno

Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra