Sophonisba

In this early‑modern French tragedy, the noble queen Sophonisba wrestles with a desperate choice as the Roman war machine closes in on her homeland. After her father Hasdrubal’s defeat, she is promised in marriage to the Numidian king Siphax, only to be drawn into a tangled alliance with the Romans that threatens everything she holds dear. The opening scenes unfold in a court of intrigue, where Sophoniska confides her anguish to her faithful lady‑in‑waiting Herminia, revealing the personal cost of political betrayal and the looming specter of battle.

The play balances soaring rhetoric with intimate moments, its verses laced with moral reflections on fortune’s fickleness and the price of honor. A chorus of women comments on the unfolding drama, while soldiers and Roman commanders add a stark, martial counterpoint. Listeners will be drawn into the rich, poetic language and the timeless conflict between love, loyalty, and the inexorable pull of destiny.