“Berenice, Regina d’Egitto” HWV 38 was the last of three operas Handel newly composed for the 1736/37 season at the Royal Theatre in Covent Garden. A month before the planned premiere, the composer suffered a stroke that left his right arm paralyzed, which meant that he was unable to perform as harpsichordist and had to relinquish the direction of the first performance.

“Berenice” offers a wealth of musical treasures such as the second movement of the overture which has become famous as the “Minuet from Berenice”, or Berenice’s aria “Chi t’intende?” from the third act in which the Egyptian queen ponders Cupid’s capriciousness in dialogue with the solo oboe. The vocal score reproduces the version of the premiere and includes pieces in the appendix that Handel removed or shortened in the run-up to the first performance.