| Marketing Copy | IDOMENEO, K. 366, is considered Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's (1756-1791) first mature opera, completed between 1780 and 1781. The opera was commissioned in 1780 by Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria, to write the opera for a court carnival. The subject, likely selected by Theodor also, was adapted by librettist Giambattista Varesco from French text by Antoine Danchet, which was based on a 1705 play by Crébillon le Tragique. The plot revolves around Idomeneo, the king of Crete, who struggles with a requirement to sacrifice his own son, Prince Idamante, to the god Neptune, while Idamante and Ilia, daughter to the defeated Trojan King Priam, struggle with their own love for each other. It premiered on January 1, 1781, in Munich at the Hoftheater, Christian Cannabich conducting, though the opera did not find a place in the standard repertory until the mid-twentieth century. The overture is now a regular part of orchestral concert programs, both in the original version and in an ending written by Carl Reinecke. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Timp: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set). Reprint edition. |
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