About the work
Sosarme, re di Media is an opera seria by George Frideric Handel, premiered on 15 February 1732 at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket, London. An unknown adapter based the libretto on Antonio Salvi's 1707 "Dionisio, re di Portogallo", relocating the action from Portugal to ancient Lydia.
Plot
In Sardis, young Argone rebels against his father, King Haliate of Lydia, over the succession. Sosarme, King of Media, arrives to mediate and hopes to marry Haliate's daughter Elmira. Only once the scheming of the minister Altomaro is exposed do father and son reconcile, clearing the way for the wedding.
Cultural significance
London audiences read the father-son feud as a topical allusion to the rift between King George II and his son, Crown Prince Frederick Louis. After a solid opening run of eleven performances, a 1734 revival fared poorly, and the opera then largely disappeared from the stage.