Mozart's Idomeneo Is April 22, 2023, Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcast

Summary: Mozart's Idomeneo is the April 22, 2023, Saturday matinee radio broadcast, airing as the 17th of the 2022-2023 season's 24 Saturday radio broadcasts.

Angela Gheorghiu sings Tosca in 2022-2023 season's Saturday matinee radio broadcast, April 8 (fourth spring performance; 13th of season's 15 performances), and Wednesday, April 12 (fifth spring performance; 14th of season's 15 performances): Angela Gheorghiu @angelagheorghiu, via Twitter March 20, 2023

Mozart's Idomeneo is the April 22, 2023, Saturday matinee radio broadcast, airing at 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time, as the 17th of the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Classical era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791) set his musical score for Idomeneo to an Italian libretto by Giambattista Varesco (Nov. 26, 1735-Aug. 25,1805). The Italian poet and Salzburg court chaplain sourced his libretto from Idoménée, a French libretto by French dramatist and librettist Antoine Danchet (Sep. 7, 1671-Feb. 21, 1748).

Mozart's Idomeneo premiered Monday, Jan. 29, 1781, at Cuvilliés Theatre in Munich, Bavaria, southeastern Germany. Idomeneo numbered as the only Cuvilliés Theatre-premiering Mozart opera and as the second of only two Munich-premiered Mozart operas. La finta giardiniera had premiered six years earlier, on Friday, Jan. 13, 1775, at Munich's Salvatortheater, also known as Opernhaus am Salvatorplatz (Opera House at Salvator Plaza).

The Metropolitan Opera premiered Mozart's Idomeneo Thursday, Oct. 14, 1982. Mozart's operatic Trojan War aftermath received 13 performances in the 1982-1983 season.

The 2022-2023 Met Opera season's performances of Mozart's Idomeneo mark the ninth revival of the new production that Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (Feb. 19, 1932-Aug. 11, 1988) had debuted for the opera's Metropolitan Opera premiere in the 1982-1983 season. The French opera designer had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Nov. 10, 1973, as designer and director of his new production of L'Italiana in Algeri, in the opera company's fifth performance of L'Italiana in Algeri by Italian composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

The ninth revival of Ponnelle's Idomeneo received six performances in the 2022-2023 Met Opera season. The ninth revival's performances took place Wednesday, Sep. 28, 2022, at 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time; Saturday, Oct. 1, at 1:00 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 6, at 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 9, at 3:00 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 14, at 7:00 p.m.; and closing Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7:00 p.m. The Saturday matinee radio broadcast airing April 15, 2023, replays a performance from autumn 2022.

Manfred Honeck conducted all six performances of Idomeneo in the 2022-2023 season. The Austrian conductor made his Met Opera debut in the season's first performance of the ninth revival, Wednesday, Sep. 28. His debut occurred during the opera company's 74th performance of the Greek mythology-themed opera.

Michael Spyres sang the title role of Idomeneo, the Cretan King who expresses his love for his son, Idamante, by valuing his son's life more than his oath to Sea God Poseidon. The American operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in the title role in the opera company's 29th performance of La Damnation de Faust by French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz (Dec. 11, 1803-March 8, 1869).

Ying Fang sang Ilia, a captive Trojan princess who forms a love triangle with Mycenaean Princess Elettra for Idamante. Her appearances in the ninth revival mark her first reprisal of the role that she had added to her Met Opera portfolio in the production's eighth revival in the 2016-2017 season. The Chinese operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Saturday, Sep. 28, 2013, as a Female Voice at Kazan Cathedral in the opera company's seventh performance of The Nose by Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (Sep. 25, 1906-Aug. 9, 1975).

Federica Lombardi sang Elettra, the Mycenaean princess who refuges in Crete after her vengeful matricide of Queen Clytemnestra and who loves, unrequitedly, Idamante. The Italian operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, as Donna Elvira in the opera company's 565th performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Kate Lindsey sang the trouser role of Idamante, King Idomeneo's son, who life is spared, in non-fulfillment of his father's oath to Sea God Poseidon, and who finds happiness with captive Trojan Princess Ilia. The American mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Tuesday, Sep. 20, 2005, as Javotte in the opera company's 250th performance of Manon by French Romantic Era composer Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912).

Paolo Fanale sang Arbace, King Idomeneo's advisor. The Italian tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 6, 2013, as Fenton in the opera company's 176th performance of Verdi's Falstaff by 19th century opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Issachah Savage sang the High Priest, who requires the name of the sacrificial victim, selected as the first person whom King Idomeneo encountered after his oath. The American tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, March 20, 2015, as Don Riccardo in the opera company's 95th performance of Verdi's Ernani.

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's production team comprised Gil Wechsler (Feb. 5, 1942-July 9, 2021). The American lighting designer had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Jan. 18, 1977, in the opera company's 74th performance of Le Prophète by German Jewish opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sep. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864). Sets and costumes were designed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle.

The stage director for the ninth revival of Ponnelle's Idomeneo was Daniel Rigazzi. The American opera and theater director had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, in the opera company's 648th performance of Verdi's Il Trovatore.

The 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of Saturday matinee broadcasts continues with the April 29, 2023, airing of Britten's Peter Grimes at 1:00 p.m. The matinee performance numbers as the 18th of the season's 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Domingo Hindoyan conducts the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's spring performances of Puccini's Tosca as the second opera in his Met Opera portfolio; his wife, Sonya Yoncheva, sang her ninth Met Opera role in Giordano's Fedora, which opened as a new production for the 2022-2023 season's New Year's Eve gala, and her 10th Met Opera role in spring performances of Bellini's Norma: Domingo Hindoyan, via Facebook Jan. 6, 2023

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

American operatic baritenor Michael Spyres in the title role of Cretan King Idomeneo, whose intentionally broken oath to Sea God Neptune seems to invite disaster but resolves into a happy ending for Chinese soprano Ying Fang's Trojan Princess Ilia; costumes and sets by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, lighting by Gil Wechsler: OPERA NEWS @OPERANEWS, via Twitter Sep. 30, 2022, @ https://twitter.com/OPERANEWS/status/1575964035761192993

Mozart's Idomeneo sets a Cretan King's filial love-inspired broken oath to Sea God Poseidon and his son's reciprocated love for a captive Trojan princess against Greek mythology's Trojan War and yet resolves a seeming tragedy into a redemptively happy ending; costumes and sets by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, lighting by Gil Wechsler: The Classical Source @ClassicalSource, via Twitter Oct. 4, 2022, @ https://twitter.com/ClassicalSource/status/1577325093650403329

For further information:

The Classical Source @ClassicalSource. "#Concertreview #LincolnCentre The Metropolitan Opera -- Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s production of Mozart’s Idomeneo -- Michael Spyres, Kate Lindsey, Ying Fang, Federica Lombardi, Paolo Fanale, Issachah Savage; conducted by Manfred Honeck https://bit.ly/3SOYMGz." Twitter. Oct. 4, 2022.
Available @ https://twitter.com/ClassicalSource/status/1577325093650403329

"Debut: Daniel Rigazzi." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356861 Il Trovatore {648} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/22/2018., Mertopolitan Opera Radio Sirius XM channel 75 Broadcast live Streamed at metopera.org. (Debut: Daniel Rigazzi Broadcast/Streamed). Metropolitan Opera House. January 22, 2018 Broadcast/Streamed.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356861

"Debut: Issachah Savage." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355884 Ernani {95} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/20/2015, Metropolitan Opera Radio Sirius XM channel 74 Broadcast live. (Debut: Issachah Savage Broadcast). Metropolitan Opera House. March 20, 2015 Broadcast.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355884

"Debut: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 235540 New Production L'Italiana in Algeri {5} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 11/10/1973. (Debut: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle Review). Metropolitan Opera House. November 10, 1973 Matinee. New Production.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=235540

“Debut: Kate Lindsey.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351294 Manon {250} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/20/2005.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351294

"Debut: Michael Spyres." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357404 La Damnation de Faust {29} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/01/2020. (Debut: Michael Spyres). Metropolitan Opera House. February 1, 2020.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357404

"Debut: Raimund Herincx, Gil Wechsler, Stuart Sebastian." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 248030 New production Le Prophète {74} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/18/1977. (Debut: Raimund Herincx, Gil Wechsler, Stuart Sebastian). Metropolitan Opera House. January 18, 1977. Benefit sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera Guild for the production funds. New production.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=248030

"Debuts: Cornelius Meister, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Federica Lombardi, Aida Garifullina." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357133 Don Giovanni {565} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/30/2019., Metropolitan Opera Radio Sirius XM channel 75 Broadcast live Streamed at metopera.org. (Debuts: Cornelius Meister, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Federica Lombardi, Aida Garifullina Broadcast). Metropolitan Opera House. January 30, 2019.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357133

"Debuts: Manfred Honeck." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357696 Idomeneo {74} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/28/2022. (Debuts: Manfred Honeck). Metropolitan Opera House. September 28, 2022.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357696

“Debuts: Peter Van Praet, Paolo Fanale, Carlo Bosi, Christian Van Horn.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355173 Falstaff {176} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/06/2013.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355173

"Debuts: Ying Fang, Matt Boehler, Joseph Barron, Kevin Glavin, Christopher Job." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355027 The Nose {7} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 09/28/2013.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355027

Marriner, Derdriu. "Idomeneo Is March 25, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 20, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/03/bellinis-norma-is-march-25-2023.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera's 2022-2023 Season Has 24 Saturday Matinee Opera Broadcasts." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/met-operas-2022-2023-season-has-24.html

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Idomeneo." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 270240 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Idomeneo {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/14/1982. (Metropolitan Opera Premiere)(Review) Metropolitan Opera House. October 14, 1982. Benefit sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera Guild for the production funds. Metropolitan Opera Premiere.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=327650

OPERA NEWS @OPERANEWS. "It is Mozart’s sublime music that breathes life into the clashing forces of love and fate and the singers in this revival rose to the occasion splendidly: https://operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2022/10/In_Review/NEW_YORK_CITY__Idomeneo.html. Michael Spyres as Idomeneo & Ying Fang as Ilia in Mozart's 'Idomeneo'. Karen Almond/Met Opera." Twitter. Sep. 30, 2022.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/OPERANEWS/status/1575964035761192993