G.F. HANDEL. IL RADAMISTO OPERA [TOGETHER WITH] ARIE AGGIUNTE DI RADAMISTO OPERA, 2 VOLUMES IN ONE, 1720

FIRST EDITIONS, 2 volumes in one, folio (c.36 x 22cm), 38 & 121 pages, the "Arie aggiunte" bound first, engraved titles and music (by T. Cross), printed privilege (14 June 1720), eighteenth-century reversed calf (inscribed: "Rhadamistus"), manuscript tables of contents inscribed on blanks, rebacked

Smith nos 1 & 2; RISM H 258 & 261; Hoboken 29 & 30; Hirsch, ii 415; HWV 12.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Handel's Radamisto was his first opera for the Royal Academy of Music, and "by far the finest opera seria hitherto heard in London" (Dean).  "The serious tone and powerfully motivated action mark a decisive break from the more carelessly assembled operas [of the] previous decade" (Hicks). Premiered at the King's Theatre on 27 April 1720, a substantially revised version was staged on 28 December, including the aria 'Barbaro partirò' and the duet 'Non ò più affanni', occasioning the Arie aggiunte di Radamisto.