Serse

Serse is the Italian form of Xerxes I, a king of the Achaemenid Empire who reigned from 486 to 465 BCE. He was the son of Darius I and Atossa and succeeded his father after Darius’s death. Serse led the empire during the second Persian invasion of Greece, which included the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis in 480 BCE. His campaign eventually stalled, and his forces retreated to Asia Minor. Serse’s reign ended with his assassination in 465 BCE by the courtier Artabanus. In historical accounts, he is depicted as a monarch striving to maintain imperial control amid revolts and external pressures, and he remains a figure in Greek tragedy and later Western historiography.

Serse also refers to an opera by George Frideric Handel, commonly known in English as Xerxes. This opera seria was first staged in 1738 at the King's Theatre in London and is written in Italian. The libretto, drawn from earlier works and revised for the London audience, centers on the Persian king Xerxes and his romantic intrigues, balancing moments of seriousness with light, comic elements. The work is especially noted for the aria Ombra mai fu, a serenade-like piece that has become one of Handel’s most famous melodies. Although Serse enjoyed success in its era, it fell into neglect in the 18th and 19th centuries and has since been revived, with modern productions and concert performances highlighting its accessible melodies and characteristic Baroque charm.