About the work
Lucio Papirio is an opera seria by Carl Heinrich Graun, set to a 1719 libretto by Apostolo Zeno based on an episode from Livy's history of Rome. Graun composed it for the Royal Court Opera in Berlin, where it premiered on 4 January 1745.
Plot
The Roman dictator Lucio Papirio orders his general Quinto Fabio to avoid battle against the Samnites. Fabio disobeys, wins the fight, and is condemned to death for it; only his father's and the people's pleading moves Papirio to grant him mercy.
Cultural significance
Zeno's text was among the most frequently set librettos of its time: roughly 30 operas were based on it during the 18th century alone, suggesting that its conflict between military obedience and paternal clemency held particular appeal for the stage.