About the work
Adriano in Siria is a two-act opera by Saverio Mercadante to a version of Pietro Metastasio's libretto of the same name, adapted by Antonio Profumo. It premiered at the Teatro São Carlos in Lisbon on 24 February 1828, during Mercadante's time as an opera director on the Iberian Peninsula.
Plot
The Roman emperor Hadrian falls in love with the captive Parthian princess Emirena, despite already being betrothed to Sabina. After an assassination attempt by Emirena's father Osroa is foiled, Hadrian chooses duty over passion: he pardons the prisoners and unites Emirena with her betrothed, Farnaspe.
Cultural significance
Along with Didone abbandonata and Ezio, Adriano in Siria is one of three settings of classic Metastasio librettos Mercadante made in the 1820s; they date from his years in Spain and Portugal, a period in which, according to the Italian biographical encyclopaedia Treccani, he also absorbed Iberian folk influences.