Armida

Haydn’s last stage work for the theater of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy , was the opera seria “ Armida ”. It was composed in 1783 and had its first public performance on 26 February 1784.
It was originally thought that Jacopo Durandi was the librettist. However, after detailed comparison with numerous other “ Armida ” libretti, the likely librettist was probably Nunziato Porto (?). The opera was a great success and Haydn’s contemporaries considered “ Armida ” his best stagework .

With the choice of “ Armida ” as a theme, (from T. Tassos “ Gerusalemme liberata ”) Haydn entered into a longstanding opera tradition.