The rediscovery of Porsile’s opera Spartacus, led by Orkester Nord and conductor Martin Wåhlberg, has been hailed by critics as a major event. Appointed composer to the imperial court in 1720, Porsile ranks alongside the greatest creators of his age: Caldara, Fux, Conti, Porpora and even Vivaldi, who died in Vienna in 1741. Spartacus, premiered during the Carnival season of February 1726, is one of his finest operatic works and one of the very few operas of the period centred on a gladiator.

Spartacus was a great success at its premiere in Vienna in February 1726, thanks to both an outstanding libretto and a lavish score. Its reputation was also shaped by a cast headed by the barytenor Francesco Borosini, who created the title role and, in particular, the extraordinary paranoid mad scene in Act III. Possessing a voice spanning at least two octaves, Borosini inspired Caldara, Conti, Porsile, Fux and Gasparini to write roles of astonishing virtuosity. He was also one of the principal artists who enabled Handel to compose such iconic roles as Bajazet in Tamerlano, Grimoaldo in Rodelinda, and the spectacular reworking of Sesto for the 1725 revival of Giulio Cesare. Opposite Borosini appeared the exceptional soloists of the Viennese court, notably Regina Schoonjans as the noble Vetturia and Faustina — Handel’s muse par excellence — as Gianisbe.

Spartaco is an opera that explores freedom in many forms. The drama unfolds at the end of Spartacus’s revolt, as the gladiator leader finds himself cornered in the city of Capua. While the siege begins, Spartacus attempts to win the heart of the noble matron Vetturia and arrange the marriage of her daughter Gianisbe to the Roman Licinio, who is already promised to Vetturia herself. Alongside these romantic intrigues, Spartaco also reveals how absolute power can descend into its darkest excesses. The libretto gives pride of place to powerful emotions and dazzling arias, while also incorporating comic duets of remarkable quality.

Three centuries after its premiere, this production restores the score with period instrumentation in a world premiere of a newly prepared and meticulously researched edition, giving Spartacus and Porsile’s dramatic music a new lease of life. The cast is led by the remarkable Italian tenor Luigi Morassi in the title role, deploying the full range of his talents in Spartacus’s astonishing mad scene.

Opera in three acts on a libretto by Giovanni Claudio Pasquini, first performed for the Vienna Carnival in 1726.

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