Thomyris, Queen of Scythia

[1][2] Motteux’s prologue directly referenced Anne, Queen of Great Britain, under whose reign female stage protagonists were very popular.

[4] However the action of the opera is based on a love triangle between entirely fictional characters; Thomyris’ son prince Orontes and the Armenian king Tigranes, who are rivals for the affections of the Persian princess Cleora.

[5]: 187 The original 1707 version of the opera concludes when Thomyris intervenes to prevent the Scythians from sacrificing Cleora; she has received false news of Orontes’s death, while Tigranes is wounded in battle.

[5]: 188 The recitatives for the opera were composed by Johann Christoph Pepusch, who also adapted the 56 arias in the work from music by Francesco Gasparini, Giovanni Bononcini, Alessandro Scarlatti and Agostino Steffani.

[8] The original cast were Pepusch’s future wife Margherita de L'Epine, soprano (Thomyris), Francis Hughs, countertenor (Orontes), (later replaced by Valentino Urbani)[9] Catherine Tofts (Cleora), Mr Lawrence, tenor (Tigranes), Richard Leveridge, bass, (Baldo) and Mary Lindsey, soprano (Media).

This time the main attraction was the famous and very expensive castrato Nicolini appearing as Tigranes, on 17, 21 and 24 November, 6 and 20 December 1709, and 3 January and 23 February 1710.