IDOMENEO

Idomeneo, King of Crete, returns from the Trojan War after a long time. The sea god Poseidon sends a violent storm in which his ship threatens to sink. In the greatest distress, Idomeneo makes an oath: should he reach the land safely, he will sacrifice the first person he meets there. But the cruel oath offers no salvation, instead it creates a horrendous situation. The young man who greets Idomeneo on the beach is none other than his own son Idamante, whom he last saw as a child. Idamante, in turn, does not understand why the father he misses so much shows no affection, only despair. All attempts to avert the sacrifice fail. The God seems to be merciless in testing the people. Only the unconditional love and humanity of the young generation can break the eternal cycle.

The opera “Idomeneo”, composed in 1781, is an early masterpiece by Mozart, which received little attention for a long time. At the age of 25, he was already at the absolute height of his art and created an unmistakable work that touches on the fundamental questions of all things human, which already thematically heralds his opera “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”) at this time. His musical expressiveness in shaping the conflict between the merciless old world and the humanistic new world, which takes shape in the contrast between father Idomeneo and son Idamante, is unparalleled and unfolds a whole range of sensations and passions as only Mozart could create.

The opera will be directed by Floris Visser, who is in demand throughout Europe, in his first staging for Oper Köln. Rubén Dubrovsky returns to Oper Köln after "Giulio Cesare in Egitto" (2022.23).