Poro, Re dell´Indie HWV 28

Scoring: Soprano solo, Alto solo (3), Tenor solo, Bass solo, Recorder (2), Flute, Oboe (2), Horn (2), Trumpet, Violin (3), Viola, Basses

The Indian king Poros offers fierce resistance during Alexander the Great's conquest of India in 327 BC. When the defence threatens to fail, his lover Cleofide decides to use her beauty to ensnare Alexander and to save Poros.

The libretto of the opera "Poro, Re dell'Indie” which was first performed in 1731, is based on Metastasio's "Alessandro nell'Indie" (1729).

The exotic setting, the captivating plot and the performance by the celebrated Italian castrato Senesino contributed to the work's success. The extensive appendix of the vocal score contains, among other things, pieces which Handel later newly composed as well as the original version of Cleofide's aria "Se mai turbo il tuo riposo".