Idomeneo, rè di Creta

Opernring 1

1010 Wien

 

It tells the story of the Cretan king Idomeneo from Greek mythology, who, after returning from the Trojan War, has to choose between the life of his son Idamante and the welfare of his people. Salvation from the dilemma comes through the love between Idamante and the Trojan king's daughter Ilia, who lives on Crete as a prisoner of war.

Idomeneo is Mozart's first grand opera, as he called it. Countless new approaches, riches never heard before, surprises, a highly complex orchestral treatment, visionary passages - in short, the audience can expect an opera full of enlightened youthful appeal. The French influence, for example that of Rameau, can be clearly heard in the seamless transitions between recitatives and arias or ensemble numbers as well as in the continuous dramatic momentum. Mozart also succeeded in creating psychologically extremely sophisticated characters, all of whom are in a constant state of emotional development - not least in the extensive accompagnato recitatives, which give the figures a very special plasticity.

With the opera seria Idomeneo, Mozart entered the opera stage in 1781 as a mature composer, although he was only 25 years old. The libretto, written by the Salzburg court chaplain Giambattista Varesco, can be traced back to French sources. The creation of the opera is very precisely documented thanks to the detailed correspondence between Mozart and his father, in particular Mozart's response to the respective abilities of the singers at the premiere. After the successful world premiere in Munich, Mozart revised the work for a Viennese performance. Idomeneo was first performed at the Vienna State Opera in 1879; the current production dates from 2014.

(Source: wiener-staatsoper.at)