Idomeneo
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| Operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
|---|
Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebotes (1767) |
Idomeneo, re di Creta ossia Ilia e Idamante (Italian: Idomeneo, King of Crete, or, Ilia and Idamante; usually referred to simply as Idomeneo, K. 366) is an Italian opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Varesco from a French text by Antoine Danchet, which had been set to music by André Campra as Idoménée in 1712. Mozart and Varesco were commissioned in 1780 by Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria for a court carnival. He probably chose the subject, though it might have been Mozart.[1]
It was first performed at the Cuvilliés Theatre of the Residenz in Munich on January 29, 1781. Written when the composer was 24, Idomeneo was Mozart's first mature opera seria, and with it he demonstrated his mastery of orchestral color, accompanied recitatives, and melodic line. In certain respects (e.g., the choirs), however, this opera is still an experimental drama, resulting more in a sequence of sets than in a well developed plot. Mozart also had to fight with the mediocre author of the libretto, the court chaplain Varesco, making large cuts and changes, even down to specific words and vowels disliked by the singers (too many "i"s in "rinvigorir").[2]
Idomeneo was performed three times at Munich, and later in 1781 Mozart considered revising it to harmonise it with Gluck's style. This would have meant a bass Idomeneus and a tenor Idamantes, but nothing came of it. A concert performance was given in 1786 at the Auersperg palace in Vienna, and as well as changing Idamantes from a castrato to a tenor, Mozart wrote some new music and cut out other parts.
In the late 1920s, Richard Strauss began working on a revised version of Idomeneo. This version premiered in 1930 and boasted a completely different libretto by Lothar Wallerstein. Strauss cut much of Mozart's score replacing it with some his own compositions. He also rearranged the order of the musical numbers and changed name of the character of princess Electra to the priestess Ismene. Critics have noted that Strauss' additions to the opera contain an odd blend of the classical style of composition and Strauss' own characteristic sound. In 1984, the Mostly Mozart Festival presented Strauss' version of Mozart's Idomeneo with Jerry Hadley in the title role, Delores Ziegler as Idamantes, and Alessandra Marc as Ismene.[3]
Today Idomeneo is part of the standard operatic repertoire. There are several recordings of it (see below), and it is regularly performed.
Contents |
[edit] Orchestration
- timpani in D and in A
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, January 29, 1781 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Ilia, daughter of King Priam of Troy | soprano | Dorothea Wendling |
| Idomeneo (Idomeneus), King of Crete | tenor | Anton Raaff |
| Idamante (Idamantes) , son of Idomeneo | soprano, later rewritten as tenor | Vincenzo dal Prato |
| Elettra (Electra), Princess of Argos | soprano | Elisabeth Wendling |
| Arbace (Arbaces) , Idomeneo's confidant | tenor or baritone | Domenico de' Panzacchi |
| High priest of Neptune | tenor | Giovanni Valesi |
| The voice of the Oracle of Neptune | bass | |
| Two Cretan women | soprano and mezzo-Soprano | |
| Two trojans | tenor and bass |
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Act 1
Island of Crete, shortly after the Trojan War. Ilia, daughter of the defeated Trojan King Priam and taken to Crete, loves Prince Idamante, son of Idomeneo, but she hesitates to acknowledge her love. Idamante frees the Trojan prisoners in a gesture of good will. He tells Ilia, who is rejecting his love, that it is not his fault that their fathers were enemies. Trojans and Cretans together welcome the return of peace, but Electra, daughter of the Greek King Agammemnon and jealous of Ilia, does not approve of Idamante's clemency toward the enemy prisoners. Arbace, the king's confidant, brings news that Idomeneo has been lost at sea while returning to Crete from Troy. Electra, fearing that Ilia, a Trojan, soon will be Queen of Crete, feels the furies of Hades tormenting her.
Idomeneo is not lost at sea, but instead is saved by Neptune (god of the sea) and is washed up on a Cretan beach. There he recalls the vow he made to Neptune: to sacrifice, if he should arrive safely to land, the first living creature he should meet. Idamante approaches him, but because the two have not seen each other for a long time, recognition is difficult. When Idomeneo finally realizes the youth he must sacrifice for the sake of his vow is his own child, he orders Idamante never to seek him out again. Grief-stricken by his father's rejection, Idamante runs off. Cretan troops disembarking from Idomeneo's ship are met by their wives, and all praise Neptune.
[edit] Act 2
At the king's palace, Idomeneo seeks counsel from Arbace, who says another victim could be sacrificed if Idamante were sent into exile. Idomeneo orders his son to escort Electra to her home, Argos. Idomeneo's kind words to Ilia move her to declare that since she has lost everything, he will be her father and Crete her country. As she leaves, Idomeneo realizes that sending Idamante into exile has cost Ilia her happiness as well as his own. Electra welcomes the idea of going to Argos with Idamante.
At the port of Sidon, Idomeneo bids his son farewell and urges him to learn the art of ruling while he is away. Before the ship can sail, however, a storm breaks out, and a sea serpent appears. Recognizing it as a messenger from Neptune, the king offers himself as atonement for having violated his vow to the god.
[edit] Act 3
In the royal garden, Ilia asks the breezes to carry her love to Idamante, who appears, explaining that he must go to fight the serpent. When he says he may as well die as suffer the torments of his rejected love, Ilia confesses her love. They are surprised by Electra and Idomeneo. When Idamante asks his father why he sends him away, Idomeneo can only reply that the youth must leave. Ilia asks for consolation from Electra, who is preoccupied with revenge. Arbace comes with news that the people, led by the High Priest of Neptune, are clamoring for Idomeneo. The High Priest tells the king of the destruction caused by Neptune's monster, urging Idomeneo to reveal the name of the person whose sacrifice is demanded by the god. When the king confesses that his own son is the victim, the populace is horrified.
Outside the temple, the king and High Priest join with Neptune's priests in prayer that the god may be appeased. Arbace brings news that Idamante has killed the monster. As Idomeneo fears new reprisals from Neptune, Idamante enters in sacrificial robes, saying he understands his father's torment and is ready to die. After an agonizing farewell, Idomeneo is about to sacrifice his son when Ilia intervenes, offering her own life instead. The Voice of Neptune is heard. Idomeneo must yield the throne to Ilia and Idamante. Everyone is relieved except Electra, who longs for her own death. Idomeneo presents Idamante and his bride as the new rulers. The people call upon the god of love and marriage to bless the royal pair and bring peace.
[edit] Noted arias
- "Non ho colpa" - Idamantes in Act I
- "Padre, germani, addio" - Ilia in Act I
- "Il padre adorato" - Idamantes in Act I
- "Tutte nel cor vi sento" - Electra in Act I
- "Vedrommi intorno" - Idomeneo in Act I
- "Fuor del mar" - Idomeneo in Act II
- "Idol mio" - Electra in Act II
- "Se il padre perdei" - Ilia in Act II
- "Se il tuo duol" - Arbaces in Act II
- "D'Oreste, d'Ajace" - Electra in Act III
- "No, la morte" - Idamantes in Act III
- "Se colá ne' fati è scritto" - Arbaces in Act III
- "Torna la pace" - Idomeneo in Act III
- "Zeffiretti lusinghieri" - Ilia in Act III
[edit] Selected recordings
- Fritz Busch (1951) - Symposium
- John Pritchard (conductor) (1956) - EMI, the first version in stereo, with the Glyndebourne Festival Orchestra and Chorus - noted singers here include Richard Lewis (tenor), Sena Jurinac, and Leopold Simoneau
- Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (1972) - EMI
- Nikolaus Harnoncourt (1980) - Teldec
- Karl Böhm (1990) - Deutsche Grammophon
- John Eliot Gardiner (1991) - Archiv
- Colin Davis (1991) - Philips
- James Levine (1996) - Deutsche Grammophon, with Plácido Domingo in the title role
- Charles Mackerras (2001) - EMI
- Colin Davis (2002) - Opera d'Oro
[edit] DVD recordings
- James Levine (1982) Deutsche Grammophon - Luciano Pavarotti sings the title role, with James Levine conducting. This was the Metropolitan Opera's first production of the work.
- Sir Roger Norrington (2006) Decca, part of the M22 Project from the Salzburg Festival. Staged by Ursel and Karl-Ernt Herrmann at House for Mozart. Starring: Ramon Vargas, Magdalena Kozena, Anja Harteros, Ekaterina Siurina, Jeffrey Francis.
[edit] 2006 controversy
On September 26, 2006, Berlin's Deutsche Oper announced the cancellation of four performances of the opera planned for November 2006, citing concerns that the production's depictions of a severed head of the Islamic prophet Muhammad raised an "incalculable security risk." "To avoid endangering its audience and employees, the management has decided against repeating 'Idomeneo' in November 2006," the opera house said in a press release.
The Idomeneo production, directed by Hans Neuenfels, shows King Idomeneo staggering on stage carrying a bag of the decapitated heads of Neptune, Jesus, Buddha and Muhammad and placing each on chairs; a departure from the libretto and score. According to the BBC, the German press agency DPA said Berlin police have so far recorded no direct threat to the opera house.[4] However, the New York Times reported that there was an anonymous threat in August against the theatre.[5]
The cancellation sparked a great deal of debate in Europe on the issue of self-censorship and the nature of free speech in a multicultural community that includes potentially violent Muslims. On September 27, 2006, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel stated: "I think the cancellation was a mistake. I think self-censorship does not help us against people who want to practise violence in the name of Islam ... It makes no sense to retreat."[6] Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble after a government-sponsored conference with Muslim representatives held independently of the incident told reporters that "[t]o send a signal, we could all go to the performance together," and the Muslim representatives agreed that the performance should not be cancelled.[7]
The severed-heads ending scene is a recent 'addition' by director Neuenfels to the original, 225-year-old opera, which was last performed by the company in March 2004. [8]
On December, 18, 2006, the Berlin Opera staged Mozart's 225-year-old production with the newly-added controversial ending scene amid mixed reactions and no incidents (with a small security contingent - and large foreign media gaggle). Demonstrators were present outside, as well, including supporters of religious tolerance and Christian protesters (presumably relating to the said scene which included the severed head of Jesus). Various members of German government attended with German Muslim groups, with the notable exception of the central Muslim Council's general secretary, Iman Mazyek, who was quoted by Al-Jazeera English as saying, "It's part of the concept of freedom of opinion and thought that you also have the right to say you are not going."[9].
Kristin Harms, director of the Deutsche Opera, said that the public's reaction to the scene, which symbolized people's release into freedom without gods or idols, was very civilized.
[edit] References
- ^ David Cairns, Mozart and his operas, 2006, p.36
- ^ Cairns, p.45
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07E7DC1238F93AA2575BC0A962948260
- ^ Religious fears force off opera, BBC News. Retrieved September 26, 2006.
- ^ Opera Canceled Over a Depiction of Muhammad, New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2006.
- ^ Reuters "Merkel warns against bowing to fear of Muslim violence" 27 September 2006
- ^ Daily Mail Muslims agree it was wrong to silence Mozart opera
- ^ Yahoo News Berlin opera pulled over Muhammad scene
- ^ Al Jazeera English Berlin police protect Mozart opera
[edit] External links
- Idomeneo: Score and critical report (German) in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe
