Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

Love and sacrifice vie in Mozart's sublime early masterpiece, directed by Martin Kusej in his UK debut.

The premiere of Idomeneo on 29 January 1781 came just two days after Mozart's 25th birthday. It was his 13th work for the stage and marks his full maturity as a dramatic composer. The plot moves with breathless immediacy, plunging the characters into extreme emotional states, taking the audience with them. Idomeneo also features some of Mozart's most varied and inventive music, including the heroic regality of Idomeneo's 'Fuor del mar', the tenderness of Ilia and Idamante's duet 'S'io non moro a questi accenti' and the furious vocal acrobatics of Elettra's 'D'Oreste, d'Ajace'.

Austrian Martin Kusej is considered one of the most important directors working today, acclaimed for his dark and incisive productions such as Der fliegende Holl?nder for Netherlands Opera and La forza del destino for Bavarian State Opera. His creative team includes frequent collaborators set designer Annette Murschetz, costume designer Heide Kastler and lighting designer Reinhard Traub.