The opera Nais was premiered on 22 April 1749 at the Academie royale in the Palais-Royal, Paris, in celebration of the signing of the so-called Treaty of Aachen. It was revived again in August 1764 shortly before Rameau's death and achieved great success as the 'opera of peace', even though it did not appear in print during the composer's lifetime.In numerous arias Rameau provides his singers ampl…

Italian opera was at the centre of Handel's output for over 35 years with solo arias constituting one of the most important elements in Baroque opera. Dramatic roles, with their various moods and reactions, are characterised through arias. A large number of Handel's operas also contain at least one entire scene for two to three voices. These numbers make use not only of similar lyrical or expressi…