About the work
Ezio is an opera seria by George Frideric Handel to an almost unaltered libretto by Pietro Metastasio. It premiered on 15 January 1732 at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket, London.
Plot
After his victory over Attila, the Roman general Ezio clashes with Emperor Valentiniano, who desires Ezio's betrothed Fulvia for himself. The conspirator Massimo, in truth the real instigator of the plot, directs suspicion onto Ezio, who is proven innocent and reunited with Fulvia only shortly before his threatened execution.
Cultural significance
With only five performances and no revival in Handel's lifetime, Ezio is considered his greatest stage failure; even King George II's attendance at four performances failed to draw an audience. Musicologists nonetheless regard it as one of the purest examples of opera seria, since it dispenses entirely with ensembles.