About the work
Adriano in Siria is a three-act dramma per musica by Johann Simon Mayr, setting Pietro Metastasio's frequently adapted 1732 libretto. It premiered on 23 April 1798 at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice.
Plot
Emperor Hadrian falls in love with the captive Parthian princess Emirena although he is already betrothed to Sabina. Meanwhile Emirena's father Osroa plots an assassination attempt against the emperor. In the end virtue prevails: Hadrian renounces Emirena, frees the prisoners and unites Emirena with her true betrothed, Farnaspe.
Cultural significance
Metastasio's libretto on the theme of imperial clemency made it a favourite for festive court occasions and was set by more than fifty composers, from Caldara (1732) and Pergolesi (1734) to Cherubini and Mercadante (1828); Mayr's setting, written for Venice's Teatro San Benedetto, belongs to this long tradition.