About the work
Attilio Regolo is a three-act opera seria on a libretto by Pietro Metastasio, originally written in 1740 for Emperor Charles VI's name day but never staged as planned after his death; the text was first performed only in 1750 in Dresden, set by Johann Adolph Hasse. Niccolò Jommelli composed his own setting for the Teatro delle Dame in Rome, where it premiered on 8 January 1753. Because women were banned from the Roman stage, the entire premiere cast was male, including Lorenzo Ghirardi as Attilia and Antonio Mazziotti as Barce.
Plot
The Roman general Regolo has spent five years as a captive in Carthage when an embassy arrives in Rome to negotiate his release. His daughter Attilia and son Publio hope for his return, but Regolo himself urges the Senate to reject Carthage's peace terms rather than compromise Rome's honour, even at the cost of his own life. Caught up in this conflict between reason of state and personal happiness are also the lovers Barce and Publio and the Carthaginian envoy Amilcare.
Cultural significance
The Roman version was revived as a pasticcio at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples in 1761 and reached English audiences too: the publisher Walsh issued excerpts in London in 1754, and the opera was performed there in 1754 and 1762. Jommelli's score, with two trumpets, horns and oboes and a mixed chorus, reflects the festive orchestral sound typical of his Roman years.