Serse January, the third by 6 February, and Handel put the finishing touches to the score on 14 February. "Serse" was first performed at the King's Theatre, Haymarket on 15 April 1738. The first production was a complete failure. The audience may have been confused by the innovative nature of the work. Unlike his other operas for London, Handel included comic ("buffo") elements in "Serse". Although this had been typical for 17th-century Venetian works such as Cavalli's original setting of the libretto, by the 1730s an "opera seria" was expected to be wholly serious, with no mixing of the genres of
1991 in British music husband Gerald, was one of the most notable events on the classical music scene. Harrison Birtwistle's opera, "Gawain", with a libretto by David Harsent, was performed for the first time on 30 May at the Royal Opera House. The 1991 BRIT Awards winners were: 1991 in British music This is a summary of 1991 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. Like 1990, this year saw 17 songs at number 1. The first number 1 of the year surprisingly came from heavy metal band Iron Maiden, scoring their first and only number one "Bring