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- Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Duration: 7 minutes
Description: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) composed Idomeneo, re di Creta, K. 366 between 1780 and 1781 for the Munich court, marking his first great operatic masterpiece and a decisive step beyond the conventions of eighteenth-century opera seria. Commissioned for the carnival season by Elector Karl Theodor of Bavaria to a libretto by Giambattista Varesco after Antoine Danchet’s French text, the opera premiered on January 29, 1781, at the Cuvilliés Theatre in Munich under Mozart’s direction. In Act III, the consecutive arias “Ha vinto amore” (No. 28) and “D’Oreste, d’Ajace” (No. 29) juxtapose divine judgment and restored order with an intensely personal eruption of jealousy and despair. In “Ha vinto amore,” the disembodied Voice of Neptune declares that love has triumphed: Idomeneo must surrender the throne, Idamante will become king, and Ilia will reign beside him, thereby releasing Idomeneo from the dreadful vow that has driven the opera’s conflict. The merciful decree is followed by Elettra’s explosive “D’Oreste, d’Ajace,” one of Mozart’s most electrifying dramatic scenes, in which she descends into madness after learning that Idamante has chosen Ilia over her, invoking the tormented spirits of Orestes and Ajax as images of her own consuming jealousy and despair. “Ha vinto amore” is valued as the commanding supernatural intervention that resolves the opera’s central crisis, while “D’Oreste, d’Ajace” has become one of the greatest dramatic soprano arias of the Classical repertoire, celebrated for its fiery virtuosity and emotional power; together they form a decisive turning point in one of Mozart’s finest operatic achievements. Instrumentation: No. 28 – 0.0.0.0: 2.0.3.0: Solo Bass; No. 29 – 2.2.0.2: 4.2.0.0: Timp: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Solo Sop. For those seeking to perform only “D’Oreste, d’Ajace,” no trombones are required as they are only used in “Ha vinto amore.” Reprint edition.