title: Alessandro nell'Indie (Metastasio)
text: # Alessandro nell'Indie (Metastasio)
  
  Alessandro nell'Indie (lit. 'Alexander in India') is a libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio. It was set to music around ninety times firstly by Leonardo Vinci, whose version premiered in Rome on 2 January 1730. The libretto was the fourth of five that Metastasio wrote for the Teatro delle Dame in Rome between 1727 and 1730. The work was dedicated to the Stuart pretender to the British throne, James Francis Edward Stuart, then resident in Rome.
  
  Alessandro nell'Indie became Metastasio's second most popular work, after Artaserse. Both were written for the Rome carnival season
  
  ## Synopsis
  
  The libretto tells the story of the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great and his defeat of king Porus in 326 BCE at the Battle of the Hydaspes. After the battle the two kings were reconciled and Alexander left Porus as ruler of his kingdom. The action takes place on the banks of the Hydaspes, where Alexander's camp stands on one side of the river and the residence of Cleofide on the other.
  
  Roles
  
  * Alessandro il Grande (Alexander the Great), premiered by Raffaele Signorini
  * Poro (Porus), Indian king, lover of Cleofide, premiered by Giovanni Carestini
  * Cleofide (Cleophis), Indian queen and lover of Porus, premiered by Giacinto Fontana, also known as "Farfallino"
  * Erissena, Poros' sister, premiere by Giuseppe Appiani
  * Gandarte, Porus' friend and general, who loves Erissena, premiered by Francesco Tolve
  * Timagene (Coenus), Alexander's general and secret enemy, premiered by Giovanni Antonio Taffi
  
  The following plot summary is based on the setting by Carl Heinrich Graun in his 1774 opera, Alessandro e Poro.
  
  ### Act 1
  
  The Indian camp after Porus' defeat
  
  At the end of the overture, warlike music and the sound of guns can be heard. As the curtain opens, the Indian soldiers are seen fleeing from Alessandro's troops. The Indian King Poro tries to stop their flight, but unable to do so, he tries to kill himself. However, he is prevented by his general Gandarte, who reminds him of his beloved Cleofide. However, Poro believes that she has entered into a relationship with Alessandro. To protect his king, Gandarte offers to exchange clothes, and from then on Poro appears as Asbite and Gandarte as Poro. A little later Asbite / Poro is arrested by Timagene after a short fight. Alessandro comes in and orders no unnecessary blood to be spilled. Timagene leaves to pass the order on to the soldiers. After Asbite / Poro is introduced to Alessandro as a friend of Poro, Alessandro releases him and asks him to tell Poro that all he had to do was submit in order to secure to peace. He also gives him his own sword as a gift. Poro accepts this, but swears to Alessandro to use it against himself.
  
  Timagene comes with the captive Erissena, Poro's sister, who was handed over to him by two Indians. Alessandro is horrified by this act. He orders the two traitors to be bound and handed over to Poro. Despite Timagene's advice, Erissena is released immediately. After Alessandro leaves, Erissena tells Timagene how impressed she is by Alessandro. Timagene, who has his eye on Erissena himself, becomes jealous.
  
  A place surrounded by shady trees
  
  Poro relates Alessandro's victory to Cleofide, whom he considers to be Alessandro's lover. Cleofide, however, assures him of her continued love and asks him to trust her. He swears never to be jealous again. However, when Cleofide asks Erissena, who has just arrived, whether Alessandro had spoken of her, his jealousy is immediately rekindled. Cleofide sets off for Alessandro's camp. Although Erissena advises Poro to trust Cleofide, he wants to follow her. Gandarte arrives. He has noticed that Timagene is an enemy of Alessandro and therefore still has hope for a victory. He also advises Poro against following Cleofide. Poro goes anyway. When Erissena enthuses to Gandarte about Alessandro, he points out that Poro has already promised her to him.
  
  Large open tent with a view of Alessandro's camp and the Cleofide's residence on the other side of the Hydaspes
  
  Cleofide crosses the Hydaspes to deliver gifts to Alessandro. He rejects them because he does not accept gifts from friends and only demands loyalty from vassals. Timagene announces the arrival of Asbites/Poro, who wants to speak to him in the presence of Cleofides. Asbite/Poro explains that Poro does not consider himself to have been defeated and rejects the proffer of peace. Cleofide tries to appease Alessandro and invites him to her residence to find out Poro's real intentions. She is sure that Asbite must have misunderstood Poro. However, Asbite assures her that he knows Poro's intentions very well and warns Alessandro about Cleofide, who once loved Poro and has now become unfaithful to him. In order to punish Poro for his renewed jealousy, Cleofide now declares her love for Alessandro. Alessandro promises her friendship, but not his heart. He leaves and Poro is reconciled with Cleofide.
  
  ### Act 2
  
  Room in Cleofide's Palace
  
  Poro and Gandarte plan to seize the bridge over the Hydaspes, counting on the support of Timagene. When Erissena reports Alessandro's arrival, Poro thinks again of Cleofide's alleged infidelity. Gandarte advises him to forget her, and leaves. Although Erissena would like to see Alessandro again, Poro sends her away. He intends to avoid Cleofide and is anticipating victory over Alessandro.
  
  By the bridge over the Hydaspes, with the Greek camp on the far bank
  
  Accompanied by warlike music, Alessandro and Timagene cross the bridge with part of their army. Cleofide comes to meet them with her retinue and greets him in a friendly manner. The greeting is interrupted by the sound of guns when Poro attacks. Alessandro and Timagene hurry to the bridge.
  
  The attack has been repelled by Alessandro. Cleofide begs the fleeing Poro not to leave her, but only when she threatens to plunge into the river and finally promises him marriage does he give in. With the enemy approaching, Poro pulls out his dagger to kill both Cleofide and himself, but Alessandro snatches it from him. To justify his action Asbite/Poro wants to reveal his true identity, but he is interrupted by the arrival of Timagene. Timagene reports that the soldiers blame Cleofide for the ambush and demand her blood. However, since Asbite/Poro assumes the blame himself, Alessandro arrests him and hands him over to Timagene. Cleofide begs Alessandro in vain to release him. Timagene sends Cleofide to his palace, and she asks him to tell Poro to remain steadfast. Timagene hands Asbite/Poro a letter assuring him that he is not to blame for the failure of the assault. Poro leaves. Timagene hopes that his intrigues against Alessandro will eventually be successful.
  
  Room in Cleofide's Palace
  
  Cleofide tells Gandarte that Poro intended to kill her out of love. Alessandro arrives and Gandarte hides. Alessandro tells Cleofide that he has failed to calm his soldiers' anger, and Cleofide is ready to die as a martyr. In order to save her, Alessandro offers to marry her. Since Cleofide does not want this, Gandarte, who is still dressed as Poro, comes out of hiding and offers himself as a sacrifice to save Cleofide. Alessandro is so impressed by this nobility that he hands Cleofide over to him and promises to release Asbite too. He leaves. Erissena comes and reports that Poro has thrown himself into the Hydaspes and is dead. Erissena advises the desperate Cleofide to flee.
  
  ### Act 3
  
  Covered colonnade in the palace garden
  
  Erissena meets Poro, who is believed to be dead, but the report of his death was only spread by Timagene for his own protection after he released him. Poro is now planning to ambush Alessandro in the garden and wants Timagene to lure him there. To prove that Timagene is on his side, Poro gives Erissena his letter. After Poro leaves, first Cleofide and then Alessandro arrive. Alessandro tries to persuade Cleofide to flee. However, she now wishes to accept his marriage offer. Alessandro asks her to meet him at the temple and leaves.
  
  Alessandro comes back with two guards and reports to Erissena that Timagene has uncovered a planned ambush. Erissena believes that Timagene has betrayed her and hands Alessandro Timagene's letter as proof of her own innocence. With Timagene's betrayal now exposed, Alessandro sends Erissena away so he can think.
  
  Alessandro asks Timagene what he would do if he were betrayed by a friend. When Timagene replies that mercy would be out if the question in such a case, Alessandro shows him the incriminating letter. Timagene begs for mercy. Alessandro is ready to forgive him if he is faithful in the future. He leaves.
  
  Asbite/Poro comes to talk to Timagene about the planned ambush but Timagene no longer wants to have anything to do with it. He leaves, and Gandarte and Erissena come to Poro. Erissena tells him about Cleofide's forthcoming wedding with Alessandro. Poro leaves. Erissena asks Gandarte to help Poro.
  
  Temple of Bacchus with a burning funeral pyre
  
  Alessandro and Cleofide enter with their retinue. A few Bacchantes are walking in front of them and the temple priest with burning torches. Poro watches the scene from a distance. When Alessandro takes Cleofide's hand, she explains that this is the hour of her death, not her wedding. According to local custom, a widow has to follow her husband in death. She wants to hurry to the burning pyre, but is held back by Alessandro. Timagene brings Gandarte, whom he still thinks to be Poro, as a prisoner. Cleofide makes another attempt to throw herself into the flames. Poro, unable to bear her suffering, steps out, reveals himself and asks her forgiveness. He is ready to accept any punishment Alessandro metes out. Alessandro, however, forgives everyone and gives Poro his kingdom back, together with his wife and freedom. In return, Poro rewards Gandarte's steadfastness with the hand of his sister Erissena, and Alessandro gives him the land beyond the Ganges as a gift. The opera ends with a chorus of praise for the fame of Alessandro.
  
  ## Background
  
  The story of Alexander the Great's encounter with Porus and the Battle of the Hydaspes has been related in many historical sources, notably in the fifth book of Arrian's Anabasis, Justin's excerpt from the twelfth book of Pompeius Trogus' Historiae Philippicae, Quintus Curtius Rufus' Histories of Alexander the Great and the chapter Alexander – Caesar from the Vitae parallelae by Plutarch.
  
  In addition to these classical sources Metastasio also had more recent dramatic treatments to draw on. These included the 1648 play Porus ou La générosité d'Alexandre by Claude Boyer as well as Jean Racine's 1665 Alexandre le grand. Both of these versions introduced a love theme into the story just as Metastasio did. There are further similarities with Domenico David's [de] 1691 L'amante eroe, set to music by Marc'Antonio Ziani and performed in Venice. David had already provided the model for Metastasio's first libretto Siface, re di Numidia.
  
  Metastasio introduced several new elements to the story of Alexander and Porus in Alessandro nell'Indie. Firstly he introduced the jealousy motive with Porus, creating a tension between him and Cleofide not found in earlier works. He also introduced the new character of Timagene, and, with him, a revenge motive.
  
  The libretto offers a typical example of the hierarchy of roles in an opera from around 1730. At the top is the ruler, here Alessandro. He is opposed by the first pair of lovers Cleofide and Poro. A second pair, Erissena and Gandarte, and the traitor Timagene, are subordinate to these figures. Each person embodies a different character type. The magnanimous Alessandro opposes the treacherous Timagene, and the couples also complement each other with their contrasting main features: the jealous Poro combines with the faithful Cleofide, the reliable Gandarte with the coquettish Erissena.
  
  ## Adaptations
  
  Other important settings of the libretto included those by Johann Adolph Hasse, Luigi Gatti and Giovanni Pacini. Hasse's adaptation was entitled Cleofide to reflect the prominence it gave to the role of the heroine, played by Hasse's wife Faustina Bordoni. George Frideric Handel's 1731 treatment, (Poro), was particularly admired. To suit the tastes of a London audience he cut back the recitative; the first four scenes of Act 2 were also cut to move the action along. Handel replaced various arias in Metastasio's text with new ones which he considered to have greater dramatic expression. Furthermore, as the baritone who was to play Timagene, Giovanni Commano, was not a strong singer, so Handel cut much of the material his role was to have $sung.^{:122–125}$
  
  Handel's version was sung at least 27 times at the Hamburg Gänsemarkt-Oper under the title Triumph der Grossmuth und Treue, oder CLEOFIDA, Königin von Indien with a German translation of the recitative by Christoph Gottlieb Wend [de].
  
  Metastasio also created a shortened version of the libretto in 1753 for his friend Farinelli (Carlo Broschi).
  
  ## Settings to music
  
  The following composers used the libretto as the basis for an opera:
  
  | Year | Composer | Premiere (notes) | First performed |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 1729 | Leonardo Vinci | 2 January 1730, Teatro delle Dame, Rome. Also performed for Carnival 1731 at the Teatro San Sebastiano in Livorno (pasticcio); Carnival 1732 at the Teatro Moderno in Reggio Emilia; on 29 January 1732 at the Teatro Cocomero in Florence (pasticcio); Carnival 1733 at the Teatro dell'Accademia degli Erranti in Brescia; revised for Carnival 1734 at the Teatro Pascolini in Urbino; revised for Carnival 1735 at the Hoftheater Munich (with music by Johann Adolph Hasse and probably Giovanni Battista Ferrandini); revised for Carnival 1736 at the Teatro Ducale in Parma; 1740 at the Teatro in Lucca. | Rome |
  | 1731 | Luca Antonio Predieri | Carnival 1731, Teatro Regio Ducale, Milan. | Milan |
  | 1731 | Nicola Antonio Porpora | Carnival 1731, Teatro Regio, Turin. as Poro | Turin |
  | 1731 | George Frideric Handel → Poro | 2 February 1731, King's Theatre as Poro, re dell'Indie with an English translation by Humphreys; 1732 in Hamburg as Triumph der Grossmuth und Treue, oder CLEOFIDA, Königin von Indien with a German translation of the recitative by Christoph Gottlieb Wend and recitatives by Georg Philipp Telemann; for the summer fair 1732 at the Opernhaus am Hagenmarkt [de], Brunswick, as Poro ed Alessandro; revised with music by Giovanni Alberto Ristori and Leonardo Vinci on 8 December 1736 at Covent Garden in London. | London |
  | 1731 | Johann Adolph Hasse → Cleofide | 13 September 1731, Hoftheater Libretto adapted by Michelangelo Boccardi as Cleophis or Cleofide; revised several times; also performed under its original title Alessandro nell'Indie; 1737 in Ferrara in a setting by Antonio Vivaldi; other performances until 1777 in Venice, Naples, Graz, Klagenfurt, Verona, Bratislava, Florence, Lucca and Berlin. | Dresden |
  | 1732 | Francesco Mancini | Carnival 1732, Teatro San Bartolomeo | Naples |
  | 1732 | Giovanni Battista Pescetti | 30 January 1732, Teatro Sant'Angelo. | Venice |
  | 1733 | Antonio Bioni | Carnival 1733, Theater im Ballhaus | Breslau |
  | 1734 | Gaetano Maria Schiassi [de] | 20 February 1734, Teatro Formagliari also in 1736 at the Academia da Trindade in Lisbon | Bologna |
  | 1734 | Matteo Lucchini | Nuovo Teatro della Città Piccola | Prague |
  | 1736 | Egidio Duni (authorship doubtful) | Carnival 1736, Teatro Pubblico | Prato |
  | 1736 | Domenico Sarro | 4 November 1736, Teatro San Bartolomeo also for Carnival 1743 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples | Naples |
  | 1738 | Baldassare Galuppi | Carnival 1738, Teatro Regio Ducale Nuovo first version; also 1752 in Stuttgart and 1755 in Munich | Mantua |
  | 1738 | Francesco Corselli | 9 May 1738, Real Teatro del Buen Retiro for the wedding of King Charles of Naples with Maria Amalia of Saxony | Madrid |
  | 1739 | anonymous | 1739, Teatro di Piazza, Vicenza further performances of anonymous settings or pasticcios in 1741 in Erlangen; Summer 1741 at the Neues Theater in Bratislava; on 28 January 1748 at the Teatro Cocomero in Florence; Autumn 1750 at the Teatro Pubblico in Sassuolo; on 14 April 1752 at the Teatro Cocomero in Florence; on 13 October 1761 at the King's Theatre am Haymarket in London; on 21 May 1786 at the Teatro degli Intrepidi in Florence. | Vicenza |
  | 1740 | Annibale Pio Fabri | January 1740, Teatro Condes | Lisbon |
  | 1742 | Giuseppe Ferdinando Brivio | Carnival 1742, Teatro Regio Ducale | Milan |
  | 1743 | Francesco Antonio Uttini | 1743 | Genoa |
  | 1743 | Niccolò Jommelli | 26 December 1743, Teatro Bonacossi first version | Ferrara |
  | 1744 | Davide Perez | Carnival 1744, Teatro Falcone first version, also on 23 January 1752 at the Teatro Regio Ducale in Milan | Genoa |
  | 1744 | Carl Heinrich Graun | 21 December 1744, Königliche Hofoper as Alessandro e Poro; new production in 1784 | Berlin |
  | 1744 | Christoph Willibald Gluck | 26 December 1744, Teatro Regio as Poro; only the Sinfonia, four arias and a duet survive. | Turin |
  | 1745 | Pietro Chiarini | Carnival 1745, Teatro Filarmonico | Verona |
  | 1746 | Pietro Pellegrini | 1746, Novo Teatro, Brescia | Brescia |
  | 1747 | Girolamo Abos | July and August 1747, Teatro La Fenice, Ancona also in Autumn 1750 at the Teatro in Lucca | Ancona |
  | 1748 | Georg Christoph Wagenseil | 17 July 1748, Burgtheater German translation | Vienna |
  | 1749 | Paolo Scalabrini [de] | 1749, Det Kongelige Teater | Copenhagen |
  | 1750 | Giovanni Marco Rutini | Carnival 1750, Theater an der Kotzen, Prague | Prague |
  | 1750 | Giuseppe Scolari [de] | Carnival 1750, Teatro di Piazza, Vicenza also on 23 May 1759 at the Teatro Vendramin di San Salvatore in Venice | Vicenza |
  | 1752 | Ignazio Fiorillo | 1752, Opernhaus am Hagenmarkt [de], Brunswick | Brunswick |
  | 1752 | Giacinto Calderara [it] | 1752, Palazzo del marchese Solerio, Alessandria | Alessandria |
  | 1752 | Gaetano Latilla | around 26 December 1752, Teatro San Cassiano; also contained music by other composers | Venice |
  | 1753 | Giuseppe Scarlatti | 12 May 1753, Teatro Pubblico | Reggio Emilia |
  | 1754 | Giuseppe Santarelli | 1754 | Terni |
  | 1754 | Johann Friedrich Agricola | Carnival 1754, Königliche Hofoper as Cleofide | Berlin |
  | 1754 | Baldassare Galuppi | 20 January 1754, Teatro San Carlo second version | Naples |
  | 1755 | Baldassare Galuppi | Carnival 1755 third version; also on Ascension Day 1755 at the Teatro San Samuele in Venice; adapted on 12 October 1755 in Munich; other performances in subsequent years in Brescia, Lodi, Florence, Vicenza and Padua. | Parma |
  | 1755 | Davide Perez | 31 March 1755, Ópera do Tejo second version, for the opening of the opera house; also 1764 in Cádiz | Lisbon |
  | 1755 | Francesco Araja | 18.–29. December 1755, Hermitage Theater also 1759 in Oranienbaum | St Petersburg |
  | 1758 | Niccolò Piccinni | 21 January 1758, Teatro Argentina first version, also in the Summer of 1762 at the Teatro di Santa Cecilia in Palermo | Rome |
  | 1759 | Ignaz Holzbauer | Carnival 1759, Teatro Regio Ducale | Milan |
  | 1760 | Niccolò Jommelli | 11 February 1760, Herzogliches Theater second version; adapted by João Cordeiro da Silva [it] on 6 June 1776 in Lisbon | Stuttgart |
  | 1761 | Daniel Dal Barba [it] | Carnival 1761, Teatro Filarmonico | Verona |
  | 1761 | Giuseppe Sarti | Autumn 1761, Det Kongelige Teater first version; adapted in June 1766 for the Nuovo Teatro in Padua | Copenhagen |
  | 1761 | Gioacchino Cocchi | 13 October 1761, King's Theatre | London |
  | 1762 | Johann Christian Bach | 20 January 1762, Teatro San Carlo also Carnival 1778 at the Teatro in Lodi | Naples |
  | 1762 | Tommaso Traetta | 29 April 1762, Teatro Pubblico | Reggio Emilia |
  | 1763 | Giovan Gualberto Brunetti | Carnival 1763, Teatro Pubblico | Pisa |
  | 1763 | Antonio Sacchini | Ascension fair 1763, Teatro San Salvatore first version; also Carnival 1766 at the Teatro Regio in Turin | Venice |
  | 1764 | Domenico Fischietti | Carnival 1764, Theater an der Kotzen | Prague |
  | 1764 | Gregorio Sciroli [it] | 31 May 1764, Teatro Comunale also Carnival 1774 at the Accademia degli Intronati in Siena | Bologna |
  | 1766 | Gian Francesco de Majo | 5 November 1766, Hoftheater Libretto adapted by Mattia Verazi | Mannheim |
  | 1768 | Johann Gottlieb Naumann | not performed; composed for the Teatro San Benedetto | Venice |
  | 1768 | Luigi Gatti | 24 June 1768, Teatro Regio Ducale Vecchio | Mantua |
  | 1768 | Antonio Sacchini | Summer 1768, Teatro San Carlo second version; also Carnival 1771 at the Teatro San Sebastiano in Livorno; Carnival 1773 at the Teatro de' Nobili in Perugia | Naples |
  | 1769 | Ferdinando Bertoni | Spring 1769, Teatro Falcone also on 26 December 1770 at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice | Genoa |
  | 1769 | Jan Antonín Koželuh | Winter 1769, Königliches Theater | Prague |
  | 1772 | Pasquale Anfossi | 7 January 1772, Teatro Argentina also on 4 November 1772 at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence | Rome |
  | 1773 | Giovanni Paisiello | 26 December 1773, Teatro di Corte | Modena |
  | 1774 | Niccolò Piccinni | 12 January 1774, Teatro San Carlo second version; also on 26 December 1776 at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence; also on 12 January 1792 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples | Naples |
  | 1774 | Domenico Corri | 3 December 1774, King's Theatre Libretto adapted by Giovan Gualberto Bottarelli | London |
  | 1775 | Carlo Ignazio Monza | 28 January 1775 Teatro Regio Ducale also 1776 in Alessandria | Milan |
  | 1775 | Giacomo Rust | Ascension 1775, Teatro San Samuele | Venice |
  | 1778 | Luigi Marescalchi [fr] | 27 May 1778, Teatro San Benedetto | Venice |
  | 1778 | Michele Mortellari | 22 July 1778, Accademia degli Intronati also in the Autumn of 1783 at the Teatro Pubblico in Lucca | Siena |
  | 1778 | Melchiorre de Vincenti or Giuseppe de Vincenti | October fair 1778, Teatro Civico, Alessandria | Alessandria |
  | 1779 | Antonio Calegari | Carnival 1779, Teatro Filarmonico | Verona |
  | 1781 | Domenico Cimarosa | 11 February 1781, Teatro Argentina | Rome |
  | 1784 | Luigi Cherubini | April 1784, Teatro Regio Ducale Nuovo two acts; also Carnival 1786 at the Teatro della Nobile Associazione in Cremona; Autumn 1788 at the Teatro degli Armeni in Livorno | Mantua |
  | 1785 | Vincenzo Chiavacci [ca] | 1785, Teatro Sant'Agostino | Genoa |
  | 1785 | Francesco Bianchi | 28 January 1785, Teatro San Benedetto Further performances until 1795 in Trieste, Eszterháza, Verona, Bologna, Bergamo, Venice and Udine | Venice |
  | 1787 | Luigi Caruso | Carnival 1787, Teatro delle Dame also Carnival 1791 at the Teatro San Samuele in Venice; 1796 at the Teatro di San Giacomo in Corfu; on 24 June 1800 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples | Rome |
  | 1787 | Giuseppe Sarti | Winter 1787, Teatro di Santa Cecilia second version | Palermo |
  | 1788 | Angelo Tarchi | Carnival 1788, Teatro alla Scala also 1789 at the King's Theatre in London; Summer 1791 adapted by Carlo Francesco Badini as La generosità di Alessandro in Siena; Autumn 1791 in Livorno; other versions on 20 January 1798 at the Teatro Regio in Turin and January 1802 at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence | Milan |
  | 1789 | Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi | 4 November 1789, Teatro San Carlo | Naples |
  | 1800 | Francesco Gnecco | 1800, Teatro degli Avvalorati | Livorno |
  | 1811 | Johann Peter Ritter | 26 December 1811, Hof-und Nationaltheater Grand heroic opera in 2 acts, libretto freely adapted by Georg Christian Römer as Alexander in Indien (Die Macedonier am Indus) | Mannheim |
  | 1824 | Giovanni Pacini → Alessandro nelle Indie | 29 September 1824, Teatro San Carlo Libretto adapted by Giovanni Schmidt; also on 26 December 1826 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan; 1827 at the Teatro Carolino in Palermo; on 19 January 1828 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice | Naples |
  
  ## Recent performances and recordings
  
  * Johann Christian Bach: 2000: Performed in the Schlosstheater Sanssouci in Potsdam, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
  * Baldassare Galuppi: 2015: Performed at the Mainfranken Theater Würzburg.
  * George Frideric Handel: 1956, 1957 and 1959: Performed at the Händel-Festspiele Halle, also recorded, by the Händelfestspielorchester Halle. 1994: Concert performance at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, recorded on CD by Europa Galante. 2006: Performed at the Deutsches Theater Göttingen [de], recorded on CD by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
  * Johann Adolph Hasse: 1986/1992: CD. Cappella Coloniensis, Rheinische Kantorei. 1994: Concert performance at the Théâtre du Châtelet Paris, the Konzerthaus Vienna and in Montreux. Les Arts Florissants, Leitung: William Christie. 2005-2009: Performed at the Semperoper, Dresden. Staatsopernchor und Staatskapelle Dresden.
  * Gian Francesco de Majo: 2008: Performed at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, recorded on CD. Nationaltheater-Orchester Mannheim.
  * Giovanni Pacini: 2007: CD. London Philharmonic Orchestra, Geoffrey Mitchell Choir.
  * Leonardo Vinci: Arte TV broadcast of the 2022 Bayreuth production of Alessandro nel Indie
  