About the work
Il re pastore is a two-act serenata that Mozart composed in 1775 for the visit of Archduke Maximilian Francis to Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo in Salzburg. The libretto is based on an earlier text by Pietro Metastasio. It premiered on 23 April 1775 in Salzburg.
Plot
Alexander the Great restores the shepherd Aminta, whom he recognises as the rightful king of Sidon, to the throne, and wants to marry him to the deposed tyrant's daughter. Aminta chooses his true love Elisa instead of the politically advantageous match.
Cultural significance
Composed as a courtly occasional piece, the score is still judged differently today: sometimes as a conventional commission, sometimes as a youthfully fresh anticipation of Mozart's more mature style.