''Germanicus'' is an opera by

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

, to a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) 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 th ...

in German by the poet , fourth daughter of

Nicolaus Adam Strungk Nicolaus Adam Strungk (christened 15 November 1640 in Braunschweig – 23 September 1700 in Dresden) was a German composer and violinist. Life Nicolaus Adam was the son of the organist Delphin Strungk. He studied organ under his father, then a ...

of Dresden. The opera was written in 1704 and revised in 1710. It is supposedly one of the twenty operas that Telemann wrote for the opera house in the

Oper am Brühl The Oper am Brühl (also ''Barockoper Leipzig'') was the first opera house in Leipzig. It existed from 1693 to 1720 and was the second municipal music theatre in Germany, after the Oper am Gänsemarkt in Hamburg. It was initiated by Nicolaus Ad ...

in Leipzig. The plot concerns the Roman general

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was a Roman people, Roman general and politician most famously known for his campaigns against Arminius in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicu ...

. The opera was believed lost until 45 arias were discovered in a Frankfurt archive by Michael Maul. The opera was premiered with spoken text between arias at the

Bachfest Leipzig The Bachfest Leipzig (Leipzig Bach Festival) is a music festival which takes place annually, in the month of June, in the city of Leipzig, where J. S. Bach worked as the Thomaskantor from 1723 until his death in 1750. The current artistic direct ...

2007 and at the 2010 Magdeburg Telemann Festival under conductor

Gotthold Schwarz Gotthold Schwarz (born 2 May 1952) is a German Bass-baritone and conductor. Based in Leipzig, he started as a member of the Thomanerchor and has conducted the Gewandhausorchester. Between 2016 and 2021, he was the 17th Thomaskantor after Johann ...

. A recording was released by cpo in 2011.

Recording

(conductor), ''Germanicus'', Label: CPO, DDD, 2010, 3 CDs. With Olivia Stahn,

Elisabeth Scholl Elisabeth Scholl (born 1966 in Kiedrich) is a German soprano and academic teacher. Career Elisabeth Scholl was the first girl to sing with the boys choir Kiedricher Chorbuben. From 1982 to 1987 she sang the role of the First Boy in Mozart's ' ...

Matthias Rexroth Matthias Rexroth (b. Nürnberg, Germany, 7 January 1970) is a German countertenor and voice teacher. Winning 1st prizes at the World Federation of International Music Competitions, Francisco-Viñas in Barcelona and the International Hans Gabor Be ...

, Henryk Böhm, Tobias Berndt, Sächsisches Barockorchester, ASIN: B005UU066S

References

{{Authority control Operas 1704 operas Operas by Georg Philipp Telemann German-language operas Operas based on real people Operas set in antiquity Operas set in Italy Operas set in Germany Cultural depictions of Germanicus Operas set in the 1st century Operas set in ancient Rome