Idomeneo

Composed in 1781 when he was 25, Idomeneo is Mozart's first mature opera. The libretto revolves around the titular king of Crete, who's threatened by a storm while returning from the Trojan War and promises to sacrifice the first living being he encounters to Neptune if the sea god will save him; unfortunately, that person turns out to be his own son Idamante (a subplot involves two women, the captive Ilia and the fiery Electra, who both love Idamante). Idomeneo, like every other opera seria, is dramatically rather static, though it contains much lovely music; sadly, however, this 1974 performance, recorded at England's Glyndebourne Festival, is far from ideal: it's vigorously conducted by John Pritchard, who made a specialty of the work, but the production looks cramped on the tiny stage, and the singing, especially on the male side, is weak. Richard Lewis is hard-pressed in the title role, and Leo Goeke proves an equally strained Idamante. Things are better on the distaff side, with Josephine Barstow especially impressive in Electra's demanding arias. But what really places this Idomeneo out of contention is the fact that it's incomplete, with the entire initial scene of Act I omitted and extensive cuts made elsewhere. Presented in PCM stereo, the sound quality here is adequate, at best. If you have a special interest in Pritchard and Lewis in this work, their near-complete audio recording of 1956, which also features the incomparable L(opold Simoneau as Idamante, is infinitely superior. Not recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)