Siroe was the first of three operas Handel would compose to texts of Pietro Metastasio, whose dramatic writings were to become preeminent in the world of eighteenth-century opera seria. The libretto at hand—entitled Siroe re di Persia (Siroes, King of Persia) in Metastasio's original form—would be set by almost every composer of Italian opera seria, and would serve to establish and solidify his reputation in the field. The version to be set by Handel was actually an adaptation by the composer's long-time collaborator, Nicola Haym.

Although Handel would set other Metastasio libretti, the composer did not find their dramatic structure suited to his taste; they took the already formal and rhetorical dramatic devices of opera seria to a new extreme, leaving little connection between the many solo arias and the overall concerns of plot and character development. However, in the case of Siroe, Handel responded with some spectacular music, and the opera enjoyed an unprecedented initial run of eighteen performances.

Premiered on February 17, 1728, at London's King's Theatre, Siroe would be Handel's penultimate composition for the Royal Academy of Music. As is the case with several of Handel's operas from this period, it contained dual soprano roles designed to feature the rival talents of Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni.



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