Experience a musical performance like none other. This coming Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 13, the School of Music puts on one of Mozart’s most thrilling operas, “Idomeneo.” This show explores the drama and excitement of tragic Greek heroes and violent sea monsters, the wrath of gods and the complexity of love. Idomeneo will be presented with two casts, each comprised of six leads, 25 chorus members and a 25-piece orchestra to accompany the singers on stage in this thrilling rendition. These talented students have worked for months, learning and exploring the language of opera and the entirety of Mozart’s incredible show.
Traditionally, Idomeneo is a lengthy endeavor. The director of the performance at the School of Music here at the U has trimmed it down to a more concentrated and exciting experience. The director, Anthony Buck, a doctoral student in vocal performance and opera performance, also sings the lead role of King Idomeneo on Saturday night. Buck, like many other students involved in the School of Music and opera, has received the opportunity to sing across the nation and around the world. Italian opera is a fantastic “educational opportunity to express and communicate in a language that is not your own,” Buck said.
The premise of “Idomeneo” focuses on the trials of King Idomeneo of Crete as he returns from the Trojan War. Terrible things take place in his life as he struggles to fulfill the deal he has made with Neptune, the vengeful god of the sea. His son, Idamante, struggles with a tragic love triangle. Buck says these are themes and stories “we keep telling … because it speaks to something in us.”
“It speaks to our humanity,” he said. “These are our struggles. Everyone experiences these things. We learn about ourselves through watching it.”
To combat the effects of a shortened performance, Buck and Robert Breault, the director of Opera and a professor of voice, organized a recital of the arias cut from the show. This recital will be performed in the Thompson Chamber Music Hall at David Gardner Hall on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. before that night’s performance. This recital is free to U students and allows the audience to experience the opera in more fullness.
Unfortunately, the U does not have an official opera house as performances of operas are “large undertakings,” Buck said. The solution is that the performances will be run at David Gardner Hall in the Libby Gardner Concert Hall. The performances will be at 7:30 p.m. both Friday and Saturday nights. These shows will feature costumes and small set pieces. With a Utah Arts Pass or a valid U Card, the evening performances are free.
Both nights and the recital will be sung in the original Italian, but thanks to chorus member, Jared Lesa, the full performances will feature English translations via supertitles provided to the audience. You no longer have to speak or understand Italian to enjoy this “musically exquisite drama!”