10 Burkholder ⦁ Opera Party Prime Minister Walpole’s administrative actions such as the excise tax. This was because the nation at large was at risk from these threats. Finally, Ariadne was symbolic of Princess Anne as the love interest of the hero, and England in need of saving.49 The many parallels between the setting, characters, and circumstances of Arianna in Creta and Arianna in Nasso point to the allegorical intention of Handel and Porpora in connection to the royal wedding. Furthermore, the timing of the release of these two operas points to political involvement. Opera pairs were unusual; but when they occurred, it provided opportunity for opposing positions on a matter to be expressed.50 This is especially likely concerning the Ariadne operas due to their release during the same season and year as the marriage between Princess Anne and William IV, Prince of Orange. In addition, the public employed irony under the guise of praise for William to criticize King George II’s reign. This response opened the door for satire based on the royal wedding to infiltrate songs, literature, and plays. Both support and disapproval were expressed through these avenues, providing an occasion for the opera stage to host the same effect.51 Another affirmation of the political association with the Ariadne operas is proof of partisan involvement and the rivaling companies that produced them. Partisan involvement in the production of these operas was clearly insinuated in a pamphlet that came out the same year called Harmony in an Uproar: A Letter to F-d-k H-d. In this work, the author essentially puts Handel on trial for offending the Patriot party that was born from the Whigs and also criticizes the Opera of the Nobility, referred to as the “Mobility,” for basically yielding to the mob rule that countered Prime Minister Walpole.52 The implied affiliation of the Opera of the Nobility with the Patriot party supports the argument that Arianna in Nasso was influenced by the political stance of the British population. Partisan involvement can further be perceived in that Handel along with the Whigs was instrumental in popularizing opera in England.53 Both the composer and the party participated in the establishment of the Royal Academy of Music. This cooperation indicates Whig support for Arianna in Creta. However, besides the possible projection that William IV might abandon Anne and/or England just as Theseus did to Ariadne 49 Aspden, 756–757. 50 Aspden, 756. 51 Aspden, 754. 52 Aspden, 740–741. 53 McGeary, Opera and Politics, 304, 317.
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