About the work
"Catone" is a pasticcio Handel assembled in 1732 from arias by several composers - Leonardo Leo, Johann Adolph Hasse, Antonio Vivaldi, Leonardo Vinci, and Nicola Porpora - together with some of his own music, set to Pietro Metastasio's libretto "Catone in Utica." It premiered at the King's Theatre on 4 November 1732, with Senesino, Anna Maria Strada, and Antonio Montagnana in the leading roles.
Plot
After Pompey's defeat by Julius Caesar, the republican Cato the Younger and Pompey's widow Emilia have withdrawn to Utica in North Africa. Cato's daughter Marzia secretly loves the approaching Caesar, though her father has promised her to his general Arbace. Caesar courts Cato's friendship in vain and even offers him shared rule; Cato holds fast to his republican principles and finally takes his own life.
Cultural significance
Handel assembled the pasticcio while simultaneously composing his own operas for the second Royal Academy of Music, offering audiences excerpts from successful Italian operas at less compositional cost while giving his star singers a season-opening showcase. A contemporary account noted explicitly that the work "was not compos'd by Mr Handell" - evidence that audiences were aware of its mixed authorship. It ran for five performances.