Handel could have called this opera
Sibling Rivalry when he completed it in 1738. The work is written to a largely fictional libretto with a historical background - the title role is the figure of the Persian king Xerxes I. Set in about 470BC, the action centres around the rivalry between Xerxes and his brother Arsamene for the love of Romilda and, in turn, the rivalry between Romilda and her scheming sister Atalanta for Arsamene. Amastre and Ariodate help to sort out the ensuing mess. This performance was given last February in Munich.
Munich State Opera Chorus and Orchestra, conductor Ivor Bolton