About the work
In 1781, Domenico Cimarosa set a Metastasio libretto for the first time: „Alessandro nell'Indie“ premiered on 11 February 1781 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.
Plot
After defeating the Indian king Porus at the river Hydaspes, Alexander the Great camps with his army on one bank while Queen Cleofide's court lies on the other. Alexander's magnanimity, Porus's wounded pride and the love between Alexander and Cleofide drive the conflict until the rival rulers are reconciled and Alexander restores Porus as king of his own realm.
Cultural significance
The libretto had already been set more than 70 times since Leonardo Vinci's 1730 premiere and was among Metastasio's most performed texts; for Cimarosa, it was his first setting of a work by the famous court poet.