Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. Imeneo was premièred at Lincoln 's Inn Field in London on 22 November 1740 and given a second performance on 13 December of the same year. Unlike the varied events and convoluted action otherwise typical of opera seria , it has an uncomplicated plot line with a clear dramatic structure and excellent music. The arranger of the libretto is unknown.
Handel wrote this opera for his final season in London , but he also revived it in Dublin on 24 and 31 March 1742 as a ' serenata ”. For this revival, presumably a concert performance, he altered the 1740 score. The alterations are listed in the appendix to the vocal score.
Our vocal score is based on the Urtext of the full score published in the Halle Handel Edition./ Répertoire / Chant
