Riots at the Royal Opera House (central London), Covent Garden during a 1763 performance of Thomas Arne's ''Artaxerxes'' after a decision to abolish half price admission fees after the interval.

Artaxerxes is an opera in three acts composed by Thomas Arne set to an English adaptation (probably by Arne himself) of Metastasio's 1729 libretto Artaserse. The first English opera seria, Artaxerxes premiered on 2 February 1762 at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden and continued to be regularly performed until the late 1830s.

Its plot is loosely based on the historical figure, Artaxerxes I of Persia who succeeded his father Xerxes I after his assassination by Artabanus.

 

Thomas Arne - Artaxerxes - "The soldier tir'd" (Joan Sutherland) (1960)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1TWGrVoSxM
 

Arne - Artaxerxes - Air - O let the Danger of a Son


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT7n20qhtJQ