About the work
Dramma per musica in three acts by Tommaso Traetta after Giovanni Ambrogio Migliavacca's libretto 'Solimano', first performed for the carnival season of 1759 at the Teatro Regio-Ducale in Parma, shortly after Traetta had taken up his post there as court composer. He set the libretto's second, revised version, in which the character Zanghire replaces Osmin.
Plot
Amid the conflict between the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Solimano and Safavid Persia, Prince Selim falls in love with the captured Persian princess Narsea. The grand vizier Rustem tries to destroy their bond through intrigue in order to secure his own power at court. After several complications the lovers are united and Rustem's scheming is exposed.
Cultural significance
Solimano was one of the most frequently set opera texts of its time; Traetta wrote his version during his first years in Parma, where he worked, alongside minister Guillaume du Tillot, toward a French-influenced renewal of opera seria. The opera was also given abroad, including a production in Barcelona in 1769.