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Nero (also known as Die durch Blut und Mord erlangete Liebe or The Love Obtained Through Blood and Murder, HWV 2)

Not specified (the music is lost)

German

Synopsis

The opera recounts the historical story of the Roman emperor Nero's schemes to replace his wife, Octavia, with his mistress, Poppea. A subplot involves the Armenian prince Tiridates, who is in love with the fictional princess Cassandra. Adding to the intrigue, the emperor's favorite, Anicetus, falls in love with Octavia, complicating the political and romantic entanglements.

Composer

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright

Friedrich Christian Feustking

Year of composition/publication / premiere

1705

Genre

Opera

LGBTQAI+ category

Gay

Level of centrality

Secondary character

Characters

Anicetus. The character Anicetus (historically, the freedman who murdered Agrippina on Nero's orders) is described in the libretto as des Kaysers Mignon oder Liebling (the emperor's "little one" or darling). This has led scholars to identify him as Handel's only openly gay operatic character. His voice type is not specified in surviving sources. The music for this opera is completely lost, so no recordings or performance rights are available.

Voice type

Voice type(s)

Pronouns

he/him

Publisher / Rights holder

Not applicable (the music is lost)

Where to buy / access the work

Not applicable (the music is lost)

Performance rights

For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.