Handel's Serse

One of the most popular arias in operatic history comes from an

Handel at the keyboard

opera about an Achaemenid Persian monarch, known to the Greeks as Xerxes, son of Darius—and known to the world of Italian opera as Serse. George Frideric Handel, who wrote Serse in 1738 for the London stage, was a German composer who studied in Italy, became an English citizen, and wrote some of the most popular Italian-language operas of the early eighteenth century. 

Those who have never seen the opera might be shocked to learn that the aforementioned aria, Ombra mai fu, is sung by the title character as a love song—to a tree. He extols the virtues of his beloved plane tree. (Note that the character Serse was written for a castrato and is now sung by a female mezzo-soprano, as in the clip below, or a male countertenor.) Link to clip here.





Neither the plot of the opera or its music have much of a genuine connection to the reality of Persia, but the public must have gained many of its impressions of Persia from works of art such as this. 

From a recent Serse production in Berlin. Source.

All inaccuracies aside—and opera never invests in historical accuracy—Serse is a wonderful entertainment. An excellent DVD of the entire production (from which the clip above is taken) is available here.