sign in sign up
<<
Home , Idomeneo

afterWARds A new chamber by David Paul, based on the opera Idomeneo, with music by Study Guide to the Opera and by

of of several arias. Instead of the nine characters in in characters nine the Instead of arias. several sections chorus, the eliminated but music, Mozart’s dir compellingly and presented materials, explosive s a on focus modern ofentertainment: realities the spans, attention and YouTubeever-shortening of era inwes any spectacles “the longest are performances P David minutes? only one in act 80 in opera an Why hope f and heartbreak, conflict, identity, mistaken that actions and emotions are characters four these a without father. W hasup who son grown a war,and home aft returning a father island, a Greek on land In essence, essence, In spirit.” human the of resilience about “lov opera an create tosections libretto and reordered. Though Though reordered. ope Mozart’s of and wordsmusic the through told is story The warof apropos. is traumatic effects the refugees and displaced highlights that retelling a so opera, modern radical, most Mozart’s perhaps is no sea monster! But, as in all wars, there are r are wars,in there all But, as sea monster! no is Gir Cretan Oracle, of Voice Neptune, of Priest High Mozart’s of format 80-minute distilled and reorganized a of conceived theater,and film, opera, of director DavidPaul full of carnage and destruction.” and destruction.” carnage of full aworld in peace love and for timely—struggles “timeless—and their and protagonists four its toward opera the of the shifted focus Paul over. “war” long is to after continue rage that battles The story of refugees continues ...... continues refugees of story The

afterWARds afterWARds Production Photo by Tim Matheson at Vancouver Opera Idomeneo , a German-American, award-winning award-winning German-American, a , afterWARds afterWARds includes the four leading characters; there is no is A there no characters; leading four the includes to explore the emotional emotional tothe explore afterWARds

tells the story of four characters: two refugees wh tworefugees characters: storyfour the of tells includes intense themes, Paul chose music chosemusic Paul themes, intense includes Idomeneo Idomeneo after after the Trojanto theworld of today, War,

afterWARds afterWARds From an ancientan storyFrom Cretesetin with an unprecedentedan with number of victimsandof refugees ofwar, is Idomeneo, Idomeneo, efugees. efugees. or the future. the future. or e, healing, and the and healing, e, ispowerfully relevant. uccinct, uccinct, dramatically er a long time awaylong er at time a of the , and and recitative, the of used Paul ectly.” ls, or Trojans. And, there there And, or ls, Trojans. ring true to opera: love, love, opera: to ringtrue ra, slightly adjusted and ra,slightly adjusted tern art form, and in an an in and art form, tern opera needs to accept needs opera aul explains that opera opera that explains aul oven into the stories of of oven into the stories Researched by Sarah Powell Sarah by Researched the reduced cast reduced the David Paul Paul David rbace, rbace, o o

afterWARds Plot

Action told throughout the in a combination of live action and video After years of bloodshed, the is over and the fighters begin the difficult journey home. Idomeneo , King of Crete and commander of its depleted forces, is sailing home with the remainder of his men. Also on board is Ilia , Princess of Troy, now a refugee who watched her family murdered before her eyes. The overture begins with a massive storm that overturns Idomeneo’s ship. Characters Idamante , son of Idomeneo, braves the storm to rescue whomever he can reach. He rescues Ilia in his boat and returns to shore. Idomeneo Idomeneo and his men are outraged at the apparent betrayal by the King of Crete unknown boatsman. As he watches his men drown around him, Idomeneo vows to himself and his men, if he survives, to kill the Idamante mezzo- or tenor unknown young man as a last service to his men. Idomeneo’s son

Opera in one act Ilia soprano Back on Crete, the opera begins with Ilia in a refugee shelter. Princess of Troy, daughter of , As her family’s sole survivor, she is tortured by survivor’s guilt and a refugee and feelings of betrayal (Padre, germani) . Yet much more pressingly, she is racked by her newest torment: a secret, Elettra () soprano A princess who is the daughter of inappropriate, and impossible love for Idamante, the young , King of Argos. She is a man—and former enemy—who just saved her life. refugee from Mycenae .

Idomeneo lands on the shore, having survived the storm. Weary The chorus and all remaining from years of war and destruction, he is tortured by the thought characters of Idomeneo have been eliminated. of having to kill yet another person. Meanwhile, Idamante, believing his father to have been killed in the storm, comes to Refugee Hot Spots the same shore to mourn him. Father and son meet but don’t recognize each other—though Idomeneo knows that this is the There are currently more than 13 man he has sworn to kill (Vedrommi intorno) . When he million people who have been discovers their true relationship, Idomeneo runs away, horrified; internally displaced or fled their Idamante is left behind, confused and pained (Il padre home countries in order to escape adorato) . war, persecution, or natural disaster in Africa, Central and South America, the Middle East, and We next meet another inhabitant of the refugee shelter: Elettra , Southeast Asia. a survivor from an infamous family. With the war finally over, Elettra fantasizes, for the first time in her life, about a positive future—with Idamante, the object of her desire, at her side (Idol . mio)

Idamante, meanwhile, confesses his own illicit feelings to Ilia.

Caught completely by surprise, she rejects him—just as Locate these “hot spot” countries: Idomeneo arrives. He senses that his son might have fallen for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Chad, the enemy refugee, while Elettra panics that Idamante and her Democratic Republic of the Congo, imagined future are slipping from her grasp. Idomeneo refuses El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, to speak to Idamante, and seeing no other way to avoid having Kenya, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, to kill his own son, banishes him. Idamante is crushed, not Northern Iraq, Philippines, Somalia, understanding his father’s reasons. South Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Venezuela

Idomeneo has organized a ship to take Idamante Meet the creators by Sarah Powell and Elettra back to her homeland. Elettra, relieved to hear the sounds of the water, says a happy Composer farewell to Crete (Andrò, ramingo e solo) . Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Idomeneo, meanwhile, is tortured by the vow he (1756–1791) made and his inability to tell his son the truth. The wrote , torment he feels is overwhelming and he concertos, contemplates killing himself. Idamante and Elettra symphonies, and arrive and Idomeneo sends them off (Soavi sonatas that zeffri) . profoundly shaped classical Suddenly, a giant storm whips up, leaving music. He started everyone scrambling for safety. Idomeneo, in publicly complete emotional disarray, reads it as a sign performing at six. from the gods. He screams at the heavens, Mozart aligned demanding they take him, instead (Fuor del mar) . himself with many European venues The storm subsides and Idamante seeks out Ilia to and patrons, composing hundreds of works say his final farewell to her before committing marked by vivid emotion and sophisticated suicide. Ilia makes a tortured confession of her textures. His operas display uncanny own feelings. Both are overwhelmed, basking in psychological insight. this unexpected moment of bliss (S’io non moro) . Librettist Giambattista Varesco (1735–1805) was a Ilia seeks out Idomeneo to try to build a bridge Salzburg cleric and poet who adapted between father and son. In a difficult moment of Idomeneo’s libretto from Antoine Danchet’s personal struggle, she explains to him that she is 1712 French text. Though, in Mozart’s words, ready to accept him as a friend and father-figure, Varesco had “not the slightest knowledge or in spite of her family’s past suffering at his hands experience of the theatre,” the poet completed (Se il padre perdei) . for Idomeneo and Mozart’s abandoned project, L’oca del Cairo . Idamante arrives. He has learned the true reason Adapter for his father’s coldness: his father was trying to David Paul shield him from the awful truth of promising to kill (1982 ̵̶ ) is an him. He is ready to accept his death at Idomeneo’s award-winning hands, serene in the knowledge that his father director of opera, loves him after all. Idomeneo is overwhelmed with theater, and film. emotion when Ilia suddenly volunteers herself in Credits include Idamante’s place. Suddenly, Idamante’s gun goes LA Opera and off. Elettra, seeing her future dreams dismantled the /Juilliard. Paul before her eyes, suffers a nervous breakdown assistant directed the Broadway revival of (D’oreste, d’ajace) . Master Class and wrote/directed the film

Dichterliebe: POETLOVE . He is on faculty at Idomeneo, mortally wounded and deeply moved the Juilliard School and the Metropolitan by the love of his son, makes his most courageous Opera's Young Artist Development Program. decision: to break his vow and allow Idamante to Paul studied acting and directing at Columbia live, regardless of the consequences. All four sing University. In 2017, Paul stage directed the a chorus of love and peace, looking ahead to an Pittsburgh Opera production of Mozart’s The uncertain future (Scenda amor) . Marriage of Figaro. Courtesy of David Paul

Historical Context for afterWARds Pittsburgh Opera Education thanks our Trojan War (c. 1299 –1100 BCE ) A mythical 10-year conflict, the Trojan War began when generous supporters: Paris, a prince of Troy, kidnapped Helen, Queen of Sparta. Greek forces laid siege to James and Electra Agras Troy and found victory Allegheny Regional Asset District with use of the infamous Anonymous Trojan Horse. One of the The Olga Barry Fund most important events in The Frick Fund of the Buhl Greek mythology, the Foundation story was narrated by The Jack Buncher Foundation Homer, in the Iliad , and Davis Vision later by Roman poets EQT Virgil and Ovid. Dr. Donald R. and Nora Barry The Burning of Troy, 1759-1762, Fischer oil painting by Johann Georg Trautmann Dr. Freddie and Hilda Fu The Grable Foundation Significant Story Changes from Idomeneo Hefren-Tillotson, Inc. • Neptune is not involved; Idomeneo promises his Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield subjects that he will kill an unknown man (Idamante) Roy A. Hunt Foundation who has rescued the prisoner Ilia. The Huntington National Bank Intermediate Unit #1, Pennsylvania • Idomeneo prepares to send off Idamante and Elettra, Department of Education but a big storm disrupts their departure. But no sea The Christian A. Johnson monsters or gods are involved. Endeavor Foundation Levin Furniture • After the storm has passed, Idamante offers to proceed McKinney Charitable Foundation with the execution, and Ilia offers to take his place. through The PNC Charitable Trust Elettra has a nervous breakdown. Idomeneo decides to Grant Review Committee break his promise to his subjects, and allow Idamante OPERA America: The Opera Fund to live. Mr. and Mrs. Willie M. Owens Pennsylvania Council on the Arts • All sing a chorus of love and peace, but Idomeneo PNC remains king as they face an uncertain future. UPMC & UPMC Health Plan The Hilda M. Willis Foundation Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) A mental health problem that some develop after experiencing/witnessing a threatening event, PTSD symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of people or situations, negative changes in feelings toward For more information on oneself and others, and a state of hyper-arousal that often Pittsburgh Opera's education includes a feeling of imminent danger. Historians now programs, please contact: explore PTSD’s impact on soldiers from the American Civil Marilyn Michalka Egan, Ph.D. War to ancient Assyria. Director of Education [email protected] Production History 412-281-0912 ext 242

Idomeneo premiered in at Court Theatre (now Pittsburgh Opera Cuvilliés Theater) in January 1781. Bare Opera produced a 2425 Liberty Avenue workshop of afterWARds in New York City in October 2017. Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Researched by Sarah Powell and Alan Shadgett www.pittsburghopera.org