“Among the most impressive period-performance ensembles around today” (Musical America), Haymarket Opera Company presents early-18th-century master Leonardo Vinci’s rare operatic gem, Artaserse (1730). A prominent figure of the Neapolitan School of opera, whose work influenced composers such as Johann Adolph Hasse and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Vinci’s three-act opera seria centres on the Persian prince, Artaserse, who must bring his father’s murderer to justice amidst betrayal, deceit, and mistaken identity.

Celebrated as a classic in its time with multiple revivals into the 1750s, Artaserse features a libretto by Italian poet and librettist Pietro Metastasio, who was regarded as one of the most important librettists of 18th-century Europe. The opera, comprising 29 arias, one duet, four orchestrally accompanied recitatives, and a final chorus, offers dazzling vocal writing and highlights Vinci’s talent for dramatic intrigue.