About the work
Ipermestra is an opera seria in three acts by Josef Mysliveček, setting Pietro Metastasio's libretto on the myth of the Danaids, which had premiered at the Viennese court in 1744 for the wedding of Archduchess Maria Anna to Duke Charles Alexander of Lorraine. Mysliveček's setting premiered at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence on 27 March 1769 — his first successful stage work there.
Plot
King Danao of Argos, fearing an oracle that prophesies his death at the hands of a son of Aegyptus, orders his daughter Ipermestra to kill her betrothed Linceo on their wedding night. She refuses and helps Linceo escape; after an uprising, Danao acknowledges his wrongdoing and cedes the throne to her.
Cultural significance
The final aria features an extended obbligato part for basset horn — the first known use of the instrument in an opera aria in Italy. The role of Linceo was sung by the tenor Anton Raaff, a close friend and associate of the composer.