About the work
Arianna in Creta is an opera seria by George Frideric Handel to a libretto based on Pietro Pariati's "Arianna e Teseo". It premiered on 26 January 1734 at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket, London, amid fierce competition from the newly founded Opera of the Nobility.
Plot
Teseo comes to Crete to kill the Minotaur and end Athens's tribute to the island. He falls for the Cretan princess Arianna without knowing her true parentage; jealousy over the captive Carilda and a clash with the rival Tauride delay the happy ending until Teseo slays the monster and both sides make peace.
Cultural significance
Handel's rival Nicola Porpora had just set the same story as "Arianna in Nasso", making Handel's version a direct answer in his rivalry with the Opera of the Nobility. With sixteen performances, the work held its own during one of the fiercest competitive periods of his career.