IDOMENEO
opera by W.A. Mozart
State Opera Budapest
WORLD PREMIERE May 2023
WORLD PREMIERE May 2023
Conductor Balázs Kocsár
Director András Almási-Tóth
Stage Sebastian Hannak
Costumes Richárd Márton
Stage Sebastian Hannak
Costumes Richárd Márton
Video Zsombor Czeglédi
Choreography Noémi Kulcsár
Lighting Tamás Pillinger
Mozarts Masterpiece yet rarely performed opera tells the individual destiny of the returnee King Idomeneo. Being caught in a big storm, he promises the god of the sea to sacrifice the first human he encounters back at the beach, if he is being spared of drowning with his crew. Bound by this oath, he is faced with a difficult decision when he meets his son at the beach, a most beloved being.
I chose to create a huge surreal city of the future by the sea in a monochromatic color. This decision enables a very nice contrast to the early form of baroque theatre.The architecture being half Bauhaus, half steampunk, together with huge LED screens it reminds of a modern metropolis. The house to the right can be turned and we see inside different rooms for intimate scenes- as well as creating an empty street when turned otherwise with people watching from the window. To the left side we assume the sea that we show by using winds and fog. In the second part the whole city is overgrown by nature and the citizens are struck by a plague, different videos show us the change of weather and advertisement of where to get help. In a moment of "deus ex Machina", a baroque theatre lands in the middle of the city, and an oracle appears- the oracle frees the King from his oath. His son has been saved from death and is announced future King.
