Idomeneo, Rè di Creta, ossia Ilia ed Idamante

views updated

Idomeneo, Rè di Creta, ossia Ilia ed Idamante (Idomeneus, King of Crete, or Ilia and Idamantes). Opera seria in 3 acts by Mozart (K366) (comp. 1780–1) to It. lib. by G. B. Varesco, after Danchet's lib. for Campra's Idoménée (1712) and the ancient legend. For Vienna private perf. in 1786 Mozart made additions to the score incl. new sop. aria Non temer, amato bene (K490), now sung in many modern perfs. Prod. Munich 1781, Karlsruhe 1917, Dresden 1925, Glasgow 1934, Tanglewood 1947, Glyndebourne 1951; NY 1951, Met 1982; London 1962, CG 1978. For revival at Vienna, 1931, R. Strauss ed. (liberally) the score and added mus. of his own, with text rewritten by L. Wallerstein, and Wolf-Ferrari ed. the work for Munich, 1931. Many textual and other special musicological problems attend this opera. For details, see W. Mann's The Operas of Mozárt (1977).