Mozart has always been one of my favourite opera composers and Idomeneo is one of his best. This 2005 production is not my absolute favourite of the 6 Idomeneo productions I've seen(1983 Ponnelle, 1983 Glyndebourne, 1991 Drottningholm, 1974 Glyndebourne, 2009 Aix En Provence and this), that's between the 1983 Ponnelle and Glyndebourne performances with the 1974 one my least favourite. However, it is a very solid and well performed production. I didn't mind the minimalist sets and staging personally, and the costumes were also acceptable. What I didn't like much was the make-up which I found rather amateurish especially in the case of Neptune. Musically it is great, the music itself is magnificent and the orchestra are stylish and powerful and the conducting shows at least an understanding of Mozart's style, sympathetic and not too broad. The performances are generally fine, with the best being Sonia Ganassi's elegant Idamante and Iano Tamar's surprisingly noble but intense Elettra. Kurt Streit is a generally believable Idomeneo, his physique is great and he shows the character's conflict very well. The singing is not as consistent, Vedrommi Intorno sounds beautiful but others including Fuamma Del Mar is on the rough side. Of the cast, the principal who fared least was the Ilia of Angeles Blancas. Visually beautiful she is, but I would have preferred a more lyrical soprano voice for Ilia and while she does her best to remain faithful to the stage directions doing that disallowed her to do much with the role other than stagey gestures.
All in all, solid but not definitive. 8/10 Bethany Cox
All in all, solid but not definitive. 8/10 Bethany Cox
