About the work
Temistocle is an opera seria by Johann Christian Bach, set to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio as reworked by the Mannheim court poet Mattia Verazi. Bach composed it in 1772 for Elector Palatine Carl Theodor's name day; the premiere took place at the Mannheim court theatre, with tenor Anton Raaff and sisters Dorothea and Elisabeth Wendling in the lead roles.
Plot
The victorious Greek general Themistocles is banished by his own city and flees to the court of his former arch-enemy, the Persian king Xerxes. When Xerxes demands that he lead an army against Greece, Themistocles sees no way out but to take his own life. His sacrifice moves Xerxes to make peace with Greece.
Cultural significance
Verazi's revision reduced the number of arias and expanded accompanied recitative, reflecting the reform aims pursued at the Mannheim court in the 1770s. Temistocle was Bach's first opera for the Mannheim court and ranks among the most elaborate productions of his late career.