SOLOISTS INCLUDE
Idomeneo – Shaun Dixon
Idamante – Théo Imart
Ilia – Masayo Tago
Elettra – Stephanie Edwards
Arbace – Alexander Pidgen
Voice of Oracle of Neptune – Stephen Kennedy
DIRECTION
Musical director – Konstantinos Diminakis
Artistic director – Bernadette Grimmett
The series of Mozart’s seven ‘greats’ is bounded by 2 opera seria; Idomeneo at the beginning and La Clemenza di Tito at the end and many critics consider Idomeneo the greater. It needs no indulgence for, with it, we see the 25 year old composer emerge as a master. From his discussions with his librettist we can see that he had an instinct for dramatic situations and he engaged fully with the themes of conflicting duty, self sacrifice and unrequited love. We can also find homage to the new ideas of Gluck as exemplified in Orfeo et Eurydice. Typically for Mozart, the work must culminate in forgiveness and reconciliation.
The action takes place in the immediate aftermath of the Trojan war and, following Opera de Baugé tradition, we shall set the action in the time and place where it is supposed to have taken place; Mycenaean Crete.
This is a new production. Opéra de Baugé previously produced Idomeneo in 2007.
