A king promises to kill his son. Mozart said 'let's make it pretty.'
Mozart’s early masterpiece returned to the Met for the first time in more than a decade with Music Director Emeritus James Levine, who led the work’s company premiere in 1982, again on the podium. Tenor Matthew Polenzani brings both steely resolve and compassionate warmth to the title king of Crete, who is faced with an impossible decision. With her rich mezzo-soprano, Alice Coote sings the trouser role of Idomeneo’s son Idamante, who loves the Trojan princess Ilia, sung with delicate lyricism by Nadine Sierra. Elza van den Heever gives a thrillingly unhinged portrayal of the jealous Elettra. Jean Pierre-Ponnelle’s timeless production blends the grandeur of ancient myth with the elegance of Enlightenment ideals.
Acting
Van den Heever's Elettra: unhinged in the best way.
Direction
Ponnelle's production ages like Greek marble.
Score
Mozart 25, already this good? Unfair.
Director
Barbara Willis Sweete
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mozart wrote Idomeneo at 24, then spent years embarrassed by its 'old-fashioned' Baroque elements.
Ponnelle's 1982 Met production defined how this opera looks; this 2017 revival preserves his aesthetic against modern Regie-theatre trends.
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