About the work
Demetrio is an opera seria in three acts by Baldassare Galuppi to Pietro Metastasio's libretto of the same name. It premiered on 27 October 1748 at the imperial Burgtheater in Vienna, to great success.
Plot
Demetrio, raised as the shepherd Alceste but in truth the rightful heir to the throne, returns from exile before his true origin becomes known. Queen Cleonice is torn between her feelings for Alceste and her political duty toward the kingdom of Syria. Only the revelation of his identity as Demetrio resolves the conflict, and the two go on to rule together.
Cultural significance
First performed in 1731, Metastasio's libretto was among his most successful, with more than fifty settings. Galuppi's 1748 Vienna version was revived in 1761 at the Teatro Nuovo in Padua, evidence of the lasting demand for his setting of this popular subject.