About the work
Baroque opera ("Musicalisches Schau-Spiel") in three acts by Reinhard Keiser to a libretto by Johann Ulrich König, based on Francesco Silvani's Italian text "Fredegonda" (set to music by Francesco Gasparini, Venice 1705). It premiered in March 1715 at the Oper am Gänsemarkt in Hamburg.
Plot
King Chilperic I of the Franks is to marry the Visigothic princess Galswintha, but secretly loves his mistress Fredegunda, who is skilled in sorcery. She schemes and seduces to prevent the marriage and seize power herself, splitting up several couples in the process. When her machinations and an uprising she instigates fail, Galswintha takes her rightful place beside Chilperic, while Fredegunda takes her own life.
Cultural significance
Fredegunda was among the most successful and long-lived works of the Gänsemarkt opera: after its premiere it remained in the programme for six consecutive seasons, with revivals continuing until 1734. After nearly 300 years of obscurity, the Bavarian Theatre Academy brought the work back to the stage in 2007.