About the work
"Giove in Argo" is another all-Handel pasticcio: for a libretto by Antonio Maria Lucchini, already set by Antonio Lotti in 1717, Handel drew arias from "Teseo," "Alcina," "Scipione," "Atalanta," "Giustino," and "Acis and Galatea," including the already-popular "Tornami a vagheggiar." He finished the score on 24 April 1739, and the opera opened at the King's Theatre on 1 May 1739.
Plot
Disguised as the shepherd Arete, Jupiter courts two mortal women at once, running afoul of the virgin attendants of the goddess Diana. Mistaken identities and disguises in the forest drive the plot until divine intervention brings a happy ending for everyone involved.
Cultural significance
The opera closed after just two performances and was largely forgotten for decades. A critical edition by John H. Roberts for Bärenreiter finally made possible the first UK performance since 1739, staged at London's Britten Theatre in 2015.