|
Shining Beauty
The current Italian season of Mozart's 'Idomeneo',
reviewed by GIUSEPPE PENNISI
Mozart's Idomeneo, Re di Creta deals with the king's journey to get back to his island after the Trojan War. The production I saw and heard in Bologna [Teatro Comunale, 28 February 2010] is probably the most travelled opera seria of the current Italian season: it is a joint effort by the opera houses of Torino, Bologna, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Ferrara and Ravenna. Its journey started in January 2010 and will be completed, for the time being, at the end of March, but there are rumors that other houses may join in, and chip in; thus the travel, through Italy, may be extended to other towns either this or the next 'season'.
The production follows the 1781 version of the opera seria but cuts the long final ballet (presumably for cost reasons and not to have too long an evening show) and interpolates the 1781 score with parts of the version prepared in 1786 for Vienna (but apparently never staged at that time).
Idomeneo, Re di Creta was intended as the young Mozart's graduation as a major European composer...
Copyright © 6 March 2010
Giuseppe Pennisi,
Rome, Italy
|
