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''Agrippina'' (HWV 6) is an ''opera seria'' in three acts by George Frideric Handel, from a libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani. Composed for the Venice ''Carnevale'' season, the opera tells the story of Agrippina, the mother of Nero, as she plots the downfall of the Roman Emperor Claudius and the installation of her son as emperor. Grimani's libretto, considered one of the best that Handel set, is an "anti-heroic satirical comedy",〔Brown, pp. 357–58〕 full of topical political allusions. Some analysts believe that it reflects the rivalry of Grimani with Pope Clement XI. Handel composed ''Agrippina'' at the end of a three-year visit to Italy. It premiered in Venice at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo on 26 December 1709, and was an immediate success. From its opening night it was given a then-unprecedented run of 27 consecutive performances, and received much critical acclaim. Observers were full of praise for the quality of the music—much of which, in keeping with the contemporary custom, had been borrowed and adapted from other works, including some from other composers. Despite the evident public enthusiasm for the work, Handel did not promote further stagings. There were occasional productions in the years following its premiere but, when Handel's operas fell out of fashion in the mid-18th century, it and his other dramatic works were generally forgotten. In the 20th century, Handelian opera began a revival which, after productions in Germany, saw ''Agrippina'' premiered in Britain and in America. In recent years performances of the work have become more common, with innovative stagings at the New York City Opera and the London Coliseum in 2007. Modern critical opinion is that ''Agrippina'' is Handel's first operatic masterpiece, full of freshness and musical invention which have made it one of the most popular operas of the continuing Handel revival. ==Background== Handel's earliest opera compositions, in the German style, date from his Hamburg years, 1704–06, under the influence of Johann Mattheson.〔Grout & Weigel, pp. 184–85〕 In 1706 he travelled to Italy where he remained for three years, developing his compositional skills. Initially he stayed in Florence where he was introduced to Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, and where his first Italian opera was composed and performed.〔 This was ''Rodrigo'' (1707, original title ''Vincer se stesso ê la maggior vittoria''), in which the Hamburg and Mattheson influences remained prominent.〔〔Boyden et al., p. 56〕 The opera was not particularly successful, but was part of Handel's process of learning to compose opera in the Italian style and to set Italian words to music.〔 After Florence, Handel spent time in Rome, where the performance of opera was forbidden by Papal decree,〔Dean (1980), p. 86〕 and in Naples. He was able to apply himself to the composition of cantata and oratorio; at that time there was little difference (apart from increasing length) between cantata, oratorio and opera, all based on the alternation of ''secco'' recitative and ''aria da capo.''〔Dean (1997), p. 1 c.2〕 Works from this period include ''Dixit Dominus,'' and the dramatic cantata ''Aci, Galatea e Polifemo'', written in Naples. While in Rome, Handel had become acquainted with Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, probably through Alessandro Scarlatti.〔Lang, p. 91〕 The Cardinal was a distinguished diplomat who wrote libretti in his spare time, and acted as an unofficial theatrical agent for the Italian royal courts.〔〔Bianconi et al., pp. 12–13〕 He was evidently impressed by Handel, and asked him to set his new libretto, ''Agrippina''.〔Dean and Knapp, p. 82〕 Grimani intended to present this opera in Venice, at his family-owned theatre, the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, as part of the 1709–10 ''Carnevale'' season.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Agrippina (opera)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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