As with many other libretti by Pietro Metastasio, “Ezio” was also set to music several times – besides Handel, by Nicola Porpora in 1728 and Christoph Willibald Gluck in 1750. As  the historical events from late antiquity surrounding the Western Roman General  Aëtius, who  had defeated the Huns under Attila on the Catalaunian Fields, had largely  fallen into oblivion by  the 18th century, they merely form a backdrop to the highly-dramatic “Sex and  Crime” on the  operatic stage. In contrast with the original Roman story, “Ezio” remains alive  at the “happy  ending”, and the enthusiastic public experienced this version for the first  time on 15 January  1732 in  London .<br>
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 However, despite this, the opera only received five performances during  Handel’s lifetime. Handel took the overture from his incomplete opera “Titus  l’Empereur”.<br>
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 The new vocal score is based on Vol. II/26  of the Halle Handel Edition (BA 4086).<br>