Name: Idomeneo
Start: 2013-11-13T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2013-11-24T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Theater an der Wien

Organization

Tenor

Richard Croft

Idomeneo

Countertenor

Gaëlle Arquez

Idamante

Soprano

Sophie Karthäuser

Ilia

Marlis Petersen

Elettra

Julien Behr

Arbace

Mirko Guadagnini

High priest of Neptune

Conductor

René Jacobs

Stage director

Damiano Michieletto

Costume designer

Carla Teti

Set designer

Paulo Fantin

Lighting designer

Alessandro Carletti

Video designer

Rocafilm

MusikTheater an der Wien

Others

Arnold Schoenberg Chor

Orchestra

Freiburger Barockorchester

Italian

Vienna

Austria

Theater an der Wien

German

Approved

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had received numerous suggestions on his trip to Mannheim and Paris in 1777/78. He was dying to develop his own works from these inspirations. In 1780 he was commissioned by the Munich court to write the great opera for the 1781 carnival. Idomeneo is therefore a dramaturgical-musical experiment: Mozart combined forms of French opera with those of Italian. He made the drama about a human sacrifice as gripping and varied as possible with choir and dance.

The Trojan princess Ilia lives as a prisoner at the royal court in Crete. There she fell in love with Prince Idamante, he too loves her. But Elektra, who fled to Crete after the murder her brother Orestes committed on their mother, Klytemnästra, also loves Idamante. Idomeneo, King of Crete, Idamante's father, is caught in a terrible storm on his way back from the Trojan War. He can only appease the sea god Poseidon by promising to sacrifice to him the one he meets first at home. He first meets his son Idamante. Idomeneo hopes to avert this sacrifice by sending Idamante away with Elektra. When they are about to embark, a monster appears that threatens Crete. Idomeneo now has to admit to the angry people that his son Idamante is the sacrifice Poseidon asked for. Because he does not offer it, the monster is now lurking in the harbor. Idamante kills it and then wants to sacrifice himself. However, an underground voice announces that Idomeneo should abdicate, Idamante should become king and Ilia should marry. Idomeneo, the lovers and the people are happy, only Elektra goes empty-handed and is angry.

Since Mozart had one of the best orchestras of the time in Munich, the instrumental colors play a bigger role than in any of his other operas. With the orchestral sound alone, Mozart subtly shows the exceptional psychological situations of the characters who have to face the question of how much their own lives and how much other people's lives are worth to them.

English

Idomeneo by Mozart, From (2013/2013), Directed by Damiano Michieletto,, Conductor René Jacobs, Theater an der Wien, Vienna, Austria

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Programme, About & Synopsis

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues