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 although it has no spoken dialogue – was premiered on 8 January 1705, after being composed in the months directly preceding this.
| Original Name | Almira, Königin von Castilien |
| Librettist | Giulio Pancieri (Venice in 1691). German translation by Christian Feustking |
| Date of composition | 1703 |
| Premiered | 1705, January 8th (Oper am Gänsemarkt) in Hamburg, Germany |
| Type | Opera |
| Catalogue | HWV 1 |
| Approx. duration | 160 minutes |
| Spoken language | German |
| Instruments |
Orchestra
Voice (Soprano) - Almira, Queen of Castilia Voice (Soprano) - Edilia, a Princess Voice (Soprano) - Bellante, Princess of Aranda Voice (Bass) - Consalvo, Almira's guardian Voice (Tenor) - Osman, Consalvo's son Voice (Tenor) - Fernando, an orphan Voice (Bass) - Raymondo, King of Mauretania Voice (Tenor) - Tabarco |
| Links | |
| Autotranslations beta |
Georg Friedrich Haendel: Almira, HWV 1 Georg Friedrich Händel: Almira, HWV 1 Georg Friedrich Händel: Almira, HWV 1 |