Finding your next obsession
Finding your next obsession

Xerxes is one of Handel’s latest and most frequently performed operas, famous for its marvelous opening aria ‘Ombra mai fu’. At the centre of the confusing tragicomedy, very loosely based upon the life of Xerxes I of Persia, is a powerful and lovesick royal eccentric, King Xerxes. Rising opera star Gaëlle Arquez in the title role of Xerxes ‘scintillates with her nimble, luminous mezzo-soprano’, singing ‘irresistibly beautiful, impassioned, furious – but never mean’ (Frankfurter Rundschau). Frankfurt’s excellent Opera and Museum Orchester contributes ‘all sorts of refinements’ to this ‘musical smash hit’ (Deutschlandfunk) and ‘In Frankfurt Tilman Köhler ensures a three-hour short abundant and furious banquett … a great evening of opera’ (Deutschlandfunk).
LUXEN Decision Guide
A character-led choice where relationships, emotion, and personal stakes are a bigger part of the experience than spectacle.
Best fit
Who it is for
Best suited to viewers who want a more personal, reflective story.
Commitment
Longer watch · 3h 0m
Use the runtime as a quick check against how much time you have tonight.
Start here
Read the synopsis.
Read the synopsis, then use the drama and comedy cues to decide whether the tone fits.
Cast
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