Artaxerxes

Overture

Act One

Scene 1

• Recitative ‘Still silence reigns around’ - Mandane, Arbaces
• Duet ‘Fair Aurora, pr’ythee stay’ - Mandane, Arbaces
• Aria ‘Adieu, thou lovely Youth’ - Mandane

Scene 2

• Recitative ‘O cruel parting!’ - Arbace, Artabanes
• Aria ‘Amid a thousand racking woes’ - Arbace

Scene 3

• Recitative ‘Be firm my heart’ - Artabanes
• Recitative ‘Dear Artabanes, glad I meet thee here’ - Artaxerxes, Rimenes, Guards
• Aria ‘Behold! On Lethe’s dismal Strand’ - Artabanes

Scene 4

• Recitative ‘Stay, Artaxerxes, stay’ - Semira, Artaxerxes
• Aria ‘Fair Semira, lovely Maid’ - Artaxerses

Scene 5

• Recitative ‘I fear some dread disaster’ - Semira, Rimenes
• Aria ‘When real joy we miss’ - Rimenes

Scene 6

• Recitative ‘Ye Gods, protectors of the Persian Empire’ - Semira
• Aria ‘How hard is my fate’ - Semira

Scene 7

• Recitative ‘Where do I fly?’ - Mandane, Artaxerxes

Scene 8

• Recitative ‘My Friend!’ - Artaxerxes, Artabanes

Scene 9

• Recitative ‘O Artaxerxes!’ - Semira, Artaxerxes, Mandane, Artabanes.

Scene 10

• Recitative ‘Who in this Royal presence’ - Rimenes, Artabanes, Artaxerxes, Semira, Mandane, Arbaces
• Aria ‘Thy Father! Away’ - Artabanes

Scene 11

• ‘Recitative ‘Ye cruel Gods’ - Arbaces
• Aria ‘Acquit thee of this foul Offence’ - Semira

Scene 12

• Recitative ‘Appearance, I must own’ - Arbaces, Artaxerxes, Rimenes

Scene 13

• Recitative ‘Beauteous Mandane’ - Arbaces, Mandane
• Aria ‘O too lovely, too unkind’ - Arbaces

Scene 14

• Accompanied recitative ‘Dear and beloved shade’ - Mandane
• Aria ‘Fly, soft ideas, fly’ - Mandane

Act Two

Scene 1

• Recitative ‘Guards, speed ye to the Tower’ - Artaxerxes, Artabanes
• Aria ‘In infancy, our hopes and fears’ - Artaxerxes

Scene 2

• Recitative ‘So far my great resolve succeeds’ - Artabanes, Arbaces, Guards
• Aria ‘Disdainful you fly me’ - Arbaces

Scene 3

• Recitative ‘Why, my dear friend’ - Rimenes, Artabanes

Scene 4

• Recitative ‘Come hither, daughter’ - Artabanes, Semira

Scene 5 * Recitative ‘I tremble - hear me, Sir’ - Semira, Rimenes * Aria ‘To sigh and complain’ - Rimenes

Scene 6

• Recitative ‘How many links to dire misfortune’s chain’ - Semira, Mandane
• Aria ‘If o’er the cruel tyrant love’ - Mandane

Scene 7

• Recitative ‘Which fatal evil shall I first oppose?’ - Semira
• Aria ‘If the river’s swelling waves’ - Semira

Scene 8

• Recitative ‘Ye solid pillars of the Persian Empire’ - Artaxerxes, Mandane, Artabanes, Rimenes, Semira, Guards, Nobles

Scene 9

• Recitative ‘Am I so much the hatred of all Persia’ - Arbaces, Artaxerxes, Artabanes, Mandane, Semira
• Aria ‘By that belov’d Embrace’ - Arbaces

Scene 10

• Recitative ‘Ah me! At poor Arbace’s parting’ - Mandane, Artabanes
• Aria ‘Monster, away!’ - Mandane

Scene 11

• Recitative ‘See, lov’d Semira!’ - Artaxerxes, Semira

Scene 12

• Recitative ‘O Artabanes?’ - Artaxerxes, Artabanes

Scene 13

• Accompanied Recitative ‘At length my soul has room’ - Artabanes
• Aria ‘Thou, like the glorious sun’ - Artabanes

Act Three

Scene 1

• Arietta ‘Why is death for ever late’ - Arbaces
• Recitative ‘Arbaces! Gracious Heav’n’ - Artaxerxes, Arbaces
• Aria ‘Water parted from the sea’ - Arbaces

Scene 2

• Recitative ‘That front, secure in conscious innocence’ - Artaxerxes
• Aria ‘Tho’ oft a cloud, with envious shade’ - Artaxerxes

Scene 3

• Recitative ‘My son, Arbaces’ - Artabanes, Rimenes, Conspirators
• Aria ‘O let the danger of a son’ - Rimenes

Scene 4

• Accompanied Recitative ‘Ye adverse gods!’ - Artabanes
• Aria ‘O, much lov’d son, if death’ - Artabanes

Scene 5

• Recitative ‘Perhaps the king releas’d Arbaces’ - Mandane, Semira
• Aria ‘Let not rage the boson firing’ - Mandane

Scene 6

• Recitative ‘What have I done!’ - Semira
• Aria ‘Tis not true, that in our grief’ - Semira

Scene 7

• Recitative ‘Nor here my searching eyes’ - Arbaces, Mandane
• Duet ‘For thee I love, my dearest’ - Arbaces, Mandane

Scene 8

• Recitative ‘To you, my people’ - Artaxerxes, Artabanes, Nobles
• Accompanied recitative ‘Resplendent God!’ - Artaxerxes

Scene 9

• Recitative ‘Fly quick, my liege’ - Semira, Artaxerxes, Artabanes

Scene 10

• Recitative ‘Hold, brother, the rebellious crew are fled’ - Mandane, Artaxerxes, Semira
• Aria ‘The soldier, tir’d of war’s alarms’ - Mandane

Final Scene

• Recitative ‘Behold my king, Arbaces at thy feet’ - Arbaces, Artaxerxes, Mandane, Artabanes
• Accompanied Recitative ‘Resplendent god’ - Arbaces, Artabanes, Artaxerxes, Mandane
• Duet and Chorus ‘Live to us, to Empire live’ - Tutti

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.