“Der in Krohnen erlangte Glückswechsel”, or “Almira, Königin von Castilien” (HWV 1), is George Frideric Handel's first opera. George Frideric Handel (German Georg Friedrich Händel), (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German Baroque music composer who lived much of his life in Great Britain, a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Creation

Handel came to the city of Hamburg in the summer of 1703 and played as a violinist in the theatre at the Gänsemarkt, the local market place. On later occasions, he also played the harpsichord in the orchestra. His first opera – announced as a Singspiel—had its premiere on 8 January 1705 under the direction of Reinhard Keiser, so it is presumed that it must have been composed in the months directly preceding this. Hamburgs central promenade Jungfernstieg on the Alster lake, between 1900 and 1914 Hamburg is Germanys second largest city (after Berlin) and, with the Hamburg Harbour, its principal port. ... Events February 2 - Earthquake in Aquila, Italy February 4 - In Japan, the 47 samurai commit seppuku (ritual suicide) February 14 - Earthquake in Norcia, Italy April 21 - Company of Quenching of Fire (ie. ... Harpsichord in Flemish style; for more info, click the image. ... Singspiel is form of German-language musical drama, similar to opera, but with a lot of spoken dialog and simpler, folk-like, strophic songs. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Construction begins on Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, England. ... Reinhard Keiser (1674-1739) was a popular German opera composer based in Hamburg. ...

The Italian libretto was written by Giulio Pancieri in Venice in 1691. Giuseppe Boninventi used it in his opera at the time. The translation used by Handel was made by Christian Feustking. While most of the recited parts and arias are sung in German, some remain untranslated. A libretto is the complete body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venexia in the local dialect), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′N 12°19′E, population 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ... Events March 5 - French troops under Marshal Louis-Francois de Boufflers besiege the Spanish-held town of Mons March 20 - Leislers Rebellion - New governor arrives in New York - Jacob Leisler surrenders after standoff of several hours March 29 - Siege of Mons ends to the city’s surrender May 6... This article is about the musical term aria. ...

"Almira" was a resounding success. The opera was shown twenty times in total until its place was taken by Handel's next opera, Nero, whose music has not been preserved. In 1732 the piece was once more shown in a version edited by Georg Philipp Telemann. A statue of Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (December 15, 37 AD–June 9, 68 AD), born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. ... Events February 23 - First performance of Handels Orlando, in London June 9 - James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia. ... Georg Philipp Telemann (March 14, 1681–June 25, 1767) was a German Baroque music composer, born in Magdeburg. ...

The first modern showing of Almira took place during the “Halleschen Händelfestspiele” (a festival dedicated to Handel) on the 4 June 1994, in Bad Lauchstädt. June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

Characters

The characters are as follows:

• Almira, Queen of Castilia (soprano)
• Edilia, a princess (soprano)
• Consalvo, Almira's guardian (bass)
• Osman, his son (tenor)
• Fernando, an orphan (tenor)
• Raymondo, King of Mauretania (bass)
• Bellante, princess of Aranda (soprano)
• Tabarco (tenor)

Thus "Almira" is an exception amongst Handel's operas, in that all the male characters have natural tonalities. Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In music, a soprano is a singer with a voice ranging approximately from the A below middle C to high C two octaves above middle C (i. ... A basso (or bass) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as a countertenor). ...

References

• Almira (Händel) in German Wikipedia
• Paul Henry Lang. George Frideric Handel
• Albert Scheibler. Sämtliche 53 Bühnenwerke des Georg Friedrich Händel