Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (1756-1791) bold experiment in combining Italian and French operatic styles

The lyrical tragedy created by André Campra in Paris in the early 1700s inspired Mozart to compose the opera Idomeneo, King of Crete. The story of Idomeneo is set in the ruins left by the Trojan War: the King of Crete has come out on the winning side, but he is pursued by the wrath of Neptune. To save his fleet, he must make a deal with the god of the sea: he must sacrifice the first soul he meets when he steps back on land. Unfortunately, it is his son Idamante who comes to meet him. Idomeneo must choose between his son and his kingdom.

I will see the grieving ghost wandering around me,
Proclaiming night and day: I am innocent!

Idomeneo

Idomeneo was last heard in its entirety in Finland in the 1980s. A recently discovered, unpublished original version of the work will be presented.

Mari Eriksmoen (Ilia)
Tuomas Katajala (Idomeneo)
Anna Lucia Richter (Idamante)
Siobhan Stagg (Elettra)
Zürcher Sing-Akademie
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra
dir. Aapo Häkkinen

First performance: 29 January 1781, Cuvilliéstheater, Munich, Germany