About the work
Asilo d'amore (L'asilo d'amore) is a one-act festa teatrale by Johann Adolph Hasse, based on Pietro Metastasio's libretto. According to research by the Metastasio specialist Don Neville, it premiered on 7 October 1743, on August III's birthday, at Hubertusburg Castle.
Plot
Several gods – Venus, Apollo, Pallas Athena, Mercury, Mars and Proteus – accuse Amor of stirring up discord in heaven and on earth. Venus defends her son: it is not his gifts that are harmful, only their misuse "in the hands of fools". Proteus settles the dispute by declaring that Amor has already reformed through contact with the virtuous ruler being honoured; the gods reconcile, and a chorus celebrates the happy outcome.
Cultural significance
The piece reflects Metastasio's idea that passions are neutral in themselves and become vices only through their uncontrolled use. In 1765 Metastasio reworked the material into an independent piece, Il trionfo d'Amore, for the wedding of Joseph II, set to music by Florian Leopold Gassmann.