About the work
Flavius Bertaridus, König der Longobarden is Telemann's only surviving opera seria, a work in three acts to a libretto by Christoph Gottlieb Wend and Telemann himself, based on the Venetian opera "Flavio Bertarido, Ré de Longobardi" (music by Carlo Francesco Pollarolo, 1706). It premiered in November 1729 at Hamburg's Theater am Gänsemarkt; the score mixes 36 German arias with 12 Italian ones.
Plot
The Lombard king Flavius Bertaridus fights to reclaim his throne from the usurper Grimoaldo; the action is set in northern Italy between 661 and 671 and interweaves the power struggle with romantic entanglements at court. In the end loyalty and family duty triumph over revenge and desire.
Cultural significance
As Telemann's only surviving opera seria, the work shows the Hamburg Gänsemarkt opera at the height of its fusion of Italian, German and French styles. After centuries of neglect it returned to the stage in 2011 at Hamburg State Opera as part of the season "333 Jahre Oper in Hamburg."