About the work
Temistocle is an opera seria by Niccolò Jommelli after the libretto by Pietro Metastasio. The premiere of the first version took place on 18 December 1757 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, with the sought-after singers Gregorio Babbi in the title role and Giovanni Manzuoli as Serse; a further performance is documented for autumn 1763 in Palermo, and a revised version was given on 4 November 1765 at the court theatre in Ludwigsburg. The libretto had first been set by Antonio Caldara in Vienna in 1736 for Charles VI's name day.
Plot
The Greek general Temistocle, who has defeated the Persians under King Serse, is accused by his own people and flees into Persian exile with his son Neocle. There he encounters his daughter Aspasia, believed dead, who has since become a confidante of the Persian princess Rossane. When a Greek envoy threatens to recognise him, Temistocle reveals himself to Serse, who, impressed by his honesty, offers him friendship and command of his army – whereupon Serse's growing affection for Aspasia stirs Rossane's jealousy.
Cultural significance
That Jommelli restaged Temistocle in Palermo in 1763 after its Naples premiere and revised it for Ludwigsburg in 1765 attests to the work's long stage presence between Italian and Württemberg houses. With Gregorio Babbi and Giovanni Manzuoli in the original cast, the Naples production was also prominently staffed.