Serse Serse Serse (; English title: "Xerxes"; HWV 40) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. It was first performed in London on 15 April 1738. The Italian libretto was adapted by an unknown hand from that by Silvio Stampiglia for an earlier opera of the same name by Giovanni Bononcini in 1694. Stampiglia's libretto was itself based on one by Nicolò Minato that was set by Francesco Cavalli in 1654. The opera is set in Persia (modern-day Iran) about 470 BC and is very loosely based upon Xerxes I of Persia. Serse, originally sung by a
James Lockhart (music director) James Lockhart (music director) James Lockhart (born 16 October 1930) is a Scottish conductor, pianist and organist who served as music director for a number of organisations. Lockhart was born on 16 October 1930 in Edinburgh and studied at the Royal College of Music. He worked as a ' (singing coach) at the ', Germany from 1955 to 1956. He was music director at Welsh National Opera from 1968 to 1972, and at the opera of the "" from 1972 to 1978 — the first British born person to hold that position with a German opera. He was the Royal