The most intimate personal confession, a sharp message to the father, but also the first big serious opera, which meant a major milestone for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Thus, his opera Idomeneo is called, already the National Theater has chosen as the premiere “Opener” of this year’s opera season. The work that thematizes the complicated relationship of father and son, mental health and the fickle favor of the people is played at the State Opera.
Idomeneo is considered to be Mozart’s “first opera masterpiece” and a milestone in his work so far. It was founded in 1781 as his first big serious opera to order the Munich Court and the Bavarian Elector, an enthusiastic patron of art Karel Theodor, who even chose the theme of classical Greek mythology. Surprisingly, however, he hit Mozart’s heart.
The libretto themes the dilemma of the Cretan ruler Idomene, who almost dies on a cruise from the Troy War, but at the last moment he concludes an agreement with the ruler of Neptune, in which he undertakes him in exchange for his life. And it is no one other than his only son Idamante. Thus, the monarch is struggling with the consequences of his promise, trying to deceive, with a complicated relationship with his son as a intended successor of the throne, but also by his own “demons” stemming from the traumatic experience both in the war and at the moment of close death at sea.
Mozart put some of his complicated relationship with his own father Leopold – also a composer, a man of huge demands and a hard discipline – who withdrew all Europe with the descendants (Wolfgang and his sister Nanerl) and introduced them to the courts of European monarchs as miraculous children.
Of course, their relationship suffered, but the essential cracks came especially after Wolfgang took some separate steps that his father disagreed with, such as a change in career work, a selection of his wife or his bohemian lifestyle. Yet there was mutual respect and a strong bond between them. And all this was reflected in Mozart’s concept of Idomene.
Bieo’s provocateur did not shock this time
The National Theater entrusted the direction of the opera in the hands of the Spanish provocateur – director Calixt Bieit, whose naturalistic concept of Janáček’s pastorec in the Golden Chapel caused a scandal (you can read Aktualne.cz here). But to entrust him of Mozart’s “first work”, however, turned out to be a great move. Idomeneo, which is basically not playing in the Czech Republic and appears on the boards of the National Theater after 125 years, does not have an aura of the inviolable national jewel and its viewers were more open to the new concept.
Bieito has planted an opera in which each of the main characters is confronted with his own human weaknesses, in an isolated space reminiscent of a psychiatric hospital, and together with small symbols he offered a possible context of interpretation – each can represent a certain psychological disorder or disease. And it was on the psychological level of the characters that he focused on his concept. And it was a step in the right direction, because viewers can easily find in some of them.
The author of the hilarious scene is the recognized German stage designer Anna-Sofia Kirsch, the timeless costumes were created by Paul Klein. Excellent lighting design, enhancing the atmosphere in cooperation with the director was designed by Reinhard Traub, who unfortunately died shortly before the premiere of the production.
It should be noted that Mozart’s operas are traditionally played in the Estates Theater, but Idomeneo is included on the stage of the State Opera this year. The head of the opera Per Boye Hansen justifies this by the fact that the epic choir scenes containing the work belong to a large stage. The truth, however, is that due to the reconstruction of the new scene this year the Estates Theater is extremely busy and drama and the move has purely pragmatic reasons.
The musical production was taken by the German conductor Konrad Junghänel. In general, it was good, although in places the loop was a little “rushed” by the brass section, and in many places the conductor the orchestra could more “tame” to make singing more significantly. After all, the work is not written for such a large orchestra. The “inauguration” performance was for the new chiefsbormist Zuzana Kadlčíková and the choir was definitely one of the asset of the performance, its members even got room in smaller solo roles and took them very nicely.
The fickle favor of the people and the returning trauma
The main role of Cretan King was played by American tenor Evan Leroy Johnson, who showed a singing and acting performance and did not owe anything. His Idomeneo struggled with narcissistic tendencies, a trauma from the experience of close death, but at the same time opened the possibility of interpreting an agreement with Neptune as a hallucination in delirium.
At the same time, as a monarch, he tries to retain the favor of his people, who can sometimes resemble dissatisfied miners, and the monster that appears in the original as an instrument of Neptune’s revenge and forces people to confront the king.
And unconventionally, the director also conceived the character of the royal son of Idamante – he apparently struggles with depression and suicidal tendencies – precisely at the end he will be offered voluntarily as a victim of Neptune. The role is in the original written for the counter-henor, so today it is traditionally sung by soprano-Ženy. In the modern production, this role is played by the Swedish mezzo -soprano Rebecko Wallroth as a transgender or a gender fluid character, which does not develop a particular – that would hardly breathe the conservative Czech viewer. Enough of being surrounded by apathy, fatigue or social phobia.
The singing performance of Wallroth was definitely one of the best moments of the evening, although it is a mezzo -soprano, so the character got a colorful timbre and it was definitely for the benefit. At the same time, Idamante solves the dilemma between the marriage of reason with the daughter of the Mycenaean King Elek and the love of Troja prisoner Ilia. If he was to decide on the basis of singing, Elektra performed by Petra Alvarez Šimková would definitely not be afraid of the competition. Her hysterical rival was not lacking in drama, energy and passion – although it was a bit of power and some tones were unpleasantly sharp, her final aria was great and in the expression she could forgive everything due to quality acting performance.
Ilii sang a lyrical soprano Jekaterina Krivatěva. Although she formed a great voice contrast to the tense electricity, but she could wait a few years for Idomene, especially in higher passages is not mature on the role of such a format. Although the intention to cast the Russian singer in the role of a woman whose nation unleashed the Troy war, and she is thus being tossed between loyalty to him, compassion for Greeks and love for an idamant, is obviously symbolic and offers current parallels.
The imaginary icing on the cake was Zdeněk Plech as the voice of Neptune’s fortune telle, singing from the orchestraphy area, whose darkly colored voice with excellent declamation will deliver literally every production “Grada”.
And although the spectators may have wondered what the empty canisters are doing on the scene, in the last minutes the choir gave them a solutions, when after the abolition of Neptune’s curses, he enthusiastically began to recruit “gasoline”. The production thus offered more than the first provocation – in addition to the psychological level, it also portrayed the current economic and geopolitical problems of our world. And that’s exactly what the current opera is supposed to do.
The review is written from the first reprise of October 1, 2025.
