About the work
Romolo ed Ersilia is an opera seria in three acts by Josef Mysliveček, based on Pietro Metastasio's libretto, previously set by Johann Adolf Hasse in 1765. The premiere took place on 13 August 1773 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples — Mysliveček's setting remained the only other one produced during the rest of the eighteenth century.
Plot
Romulus, founder of Rome, is betrothed to the Sabine princess Ersilia, but Acronte, an enemy of Romulus, also desires her and tries by every means to thwart the match. The resulting conflict between war and reconciliation between Romans and Sabines runs through all three acts, until Romolo and Ersilia are finally united.
Cultural significance
Mysliveček intervened substantially in the source text, adding new arias to give certain characters greater prominence and reordering existing numbers. Particularly celebrated were the opening aria "Questa è la bella face," the duet closing act one, and the quartet closing act two. Success at Italy's most prestigious opera house immediately earned Mysliveček the commission for the following year's opera, Artaserse.