''Il Vologeso'' is the title of several

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s, based on the same story as

Apostolo Zeno Apostolo Zeno (11 December 1668 in Venice – 11 November 1750 in Venice) was a Venetian poet, librettist, journalist, and man of letters. Early life Apostolo Zeno was born in Venice to a colonial branch of the Zeno family, an ancient Venet ...

's ''Lucio Vero'', but in a later version (1700), which had first been set to music as ''Vologeso, re de' Parti'' by

Rinaldo di Capua Rinaldo di (da) Capua (Capua, c. 1705 – probably Rome, c. 1780) was an Italian composer. Little is known of him with any certainty, including his name, although he was known to Charles Burney. He may have been the father of composer Marcell ...

in 1739 to a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by Guido Eustachio Luccarelli. The best-known version, and the only one to be revived and recorded in the modern era, is ''Il Vologeso'' (1766), an opera by

Niccolò Jommelli Niccolò Jommelli (; 10 September 1714 – 25 August 1774) was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School. Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he was responsible for certain operatic reforms including redu ...

. The same libretto was also set by many other composers, including

Antonio Sacchini Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini (14 June 1730 – 6 October 1786) was an Italian composer, best known for his operas. Sacchini was born in Florence, but raised in Naples, where he received his musical education. He made a name for him ...

and

Davide Perez Davide Perez (1711 – 30 October 1778) was an Italian opera composer born in Naples of Italian parents, and later resident court composer at Lisbon from 1752. He staged three operas on librettos of Metastasio at Lisbon with huge success in 1753 ...

. It was set at least fifteen times under the title ''Lucio Vero'' and at least five under the title ''Il Vologeso''. It was also set by

Ariosti Attilio Malachia Ariosti (or Frate Ottavio) (5 November 1666 – 1729) was a Servite Friar and Italian composer in the Baroque style, born in Bologna. He produced more than 30 operas and oratorios, numerous cantatas and instrumental works. Life ...

under the title ''Lucio Vero, imperator di Roma'' (1727), by

Reinhard Keiser Reinhard Keiser (9 January 1674 – 12 September 1739) was a German opera composer based in Hamburg. He wrote over a hundred operas. Johann Adolf Scheibe (writing in 1745) considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau, George Frideric Handel and Georg ...

under the title ''Lucius Verus'' (1728) and by

under the title ''Berenice'' (1762). Following contemporary tastes, the librettos were altered in the course of the century to shorten recitatives and simplify the plot.

Plot

The plot concerns king Vologeso (based on

Vologases IV of Parthia Vologases IV ( xpr, 𐭅𐭋𐭂𐭔 ''Walagash'') was King of Kings of the Parthian Empire from 147 to 191. He was the son of Mithridates V (). Vologases spent the early years of his reign re-asserting Parthian control over the Kingdom of Char ...

, 148–191) who is deposed by Lucio Vero (loosely based on

Lucius Verus Lucius Aurelius Verus (15 December 130 – January/February 169) was Roman emperor from 161 until his death in 169, alongside his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. Verus' succession together with ...

, 130–169) and restored by another Roman, Flavio (created for the story by Zeno).The Mediterranean world in ancient times

Eva Matthews Sanford Eva Matthews Sanford (6 July 1894 – 26 March 1954) was a scholar of Classical and Medieval history and Assistant Professor of History at Sweet Briar College. Sanford is known for her work on the Medieval sources for Classical texts, particula ...

- 1951 A few years later Vologases III of Parthia (148–191) renewed hostilities by setting up his own protege on the throne of Armenia. Lucius Verus duplicated Trajan's campaign in 163–164, reestablished the Roman protectorate in Armenia, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Volgeso, Il 1766 operas 1739 operas Opera libretti Operas