About the work
Arminio is a three-act opera seria by Johann Adolph Hasse to an older libretto by Antonio Salvi. Its premiere on 28 August 1730 at the Teatro Regio Ducale in Milan marked the birthday of Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Milan; the leading roles were sung by Giovanni Carestini and Faustina Bordoni.
Plot
The Cheruscan prince Arminio, after defeating the Romans at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, is torn between political duty and his love for Tusnelda, while the Roman general Varo seeks reconciliation. After intrigue and military confrontation, mutual magnanimity leads to peace.
Cultural significance
Hasse later reused four arias from this score in his operas "Ezio" (1730) and "Demetrio" (1732); in 1745 he set the subject anew for Dresden in an entirely different version with a libretto by Giovanni Claudio Pasquini.