2024

Staatstheater Mainz

An Opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Idomeneo fought in the Trojan War for almost a decade and ultimately contributed to the complete destruction of the city and its inhabitants. On the way home, the Cretan king gets caught in a terrible storm at sea. Neptune appears on the sea and casts threatening glances at him. Once safe again, Idomeneo wants to sacrifice the first person he meets on land to the sea god. But as it turns out a little later, this is his own son Idamante. Idomeneo realizes that the storm inside him will rage on forever and that he will never find peace.

What drives Idomeneo to want to sacrifice another person? Who is the terrible monster that brings suffering and unrest to the entire island? How can the younger generation help to resolve the tragic entanglements?