Agrippina (opera)

Agrippina is an opera by George Frideric Handel. The libretto is by Vincenzo Grimani. The premiere was in January 1710 in Venice.

Written when Handel was just 24 years old, it is one of his first operas, and demonstrated the composer's assimilation of the Italian style of opera at the time. It is the story of Agrippina, the mother of Nero, as she plots the downfall of the Roman Emperor Claudius. The story has the traditional complexity of dramatic works of the time, but is not swamped by it, as many other works for the stage are.

For many years Agrippina lay unperformed, but is staged with more frequency today.