About the work
Admeto, re di Tessaglia is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel, its libretto probably arranged by Nicola Francesco Haym and Paolo Antonio Rolli after Ortensio Mauro's reworking of a text by Aurelio Aureli. It premiered on 31 January 1727 at the King's Theatre in London.
Plot
King Admetus lies dying; an oracle of Apollo declares he can only be saved if someone else dies in his place. His wife Alceste sacrifices herself for him, while the Trojan princess Antigona, once betrothed to Admetus, arrives at court and deepens the complications. Admetus finally sends Hercules to bring Alceste back from the underworld.
Cultural significance
The opera draws on the ancient Alcestis myth of Euripides and, with the star cast of Senesino, Cuzzoni and Faustina in the leading roles, ranked among the most lavish productions of the Royal Academy of Music.