Ying Fang as Ilia and Daniela Mack as Idamante in Mozart’s Idomeneo
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera presents Mozart’s Idomeneo, directed by Australian Lindy Hume, in her debut production for the Company. A co-production with Opera Australia and Victorian Opera, this staging is new to San Francisco Opera, and stars Matthew Polenzani as Idomeneo, the warrior king of Crete, and Daniela Mack as his son, Idamante. Ying Fang sings the captured Trojan princess, Ilia, who is in love with Idamante, and Elza van den Heever is Elettra, the Greek princess who also loves Idamante. Music Director Eun Sun Kim leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Director John Keene).
Mozart started writing Idomeneo in Munich in 1780. The opera was commissioned for the forthcoming Carnival season by Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria, and set to a libretto by Giovanni Battista Varesco, a cleric, poet and musician. Varesco adapted a pre-existing French text from the early 18th century by Antoine Dancher, which was based on a 1705 play by Crébillion père, which had been set to music, as Idoménée, by André Campra in 1712. Mozart’s opera premiered at the Cuvillés Theater in Munich on January 29th, 1781.
Matthew Polenzani as Idomeneo, Daniela Mack as Idamante, and Ying Fang as Ilia in Mozart’s Idomeneo
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
The opera is set in the aftermath of the Trojan War, the legendary conflict in Greek mythology, said to have taken place around the 12th or 13th century BC. Idomeneo’s ship has been hit by a storm and destroyed, and in gratitude for Neptune having saved his life, he pledges to kill the first person he sees when he reaches the shore. Unfortunately, that happens to be his son, Idamante, who has come to the shore to see whether his father is alive, and Idomeneo is faced with a terrible choice – either to kill his son, or to fall foul of the god of the sea. Idamante cannot leave the island as he would have to travel by sea, and Neptune sends a great monster to attack the people of Crete to force Idomeneo to fulfil his oath. Elettra longs for vengeance, and it looks as though she might ultimately get her way, but Idomeneo becomes insane, and Idamante is saved by the pure heart of Princess Ilia. His father relinquishes power to his son and Idamante is crowned king.
Matthew Polenzani as Idomeneo and Samuel White as the High Priest of Neptune in Mozart’s Idomeneo
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
American tenor Matthew Polenzani sings the role of Idomeneo, a role for which he has won widespread acclaim in many opera houses. Opera News writes: “Few singers today command the sheer beauty of timbre and dynamic control of Matthew Polenzani …. almost impossibly beautiful pianissimo”. Future productions in which he will appear include Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur at Teatro Real in which he will make his role debut as Maurizio, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at Gran Teatre del Liceu in which he will sing his highly acclaimed role of Pinkerton, the Metropolitan Opera where he will take the role of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème, and a concert version of Barber’s Vanessa at the Kennedy Centre, with the National Symphony Orchestra, in which he will take the role of Anatol.
In recent seasons, Argentine mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack – whom the Telegraph describes as “A purringly elegant BMW of a singer” – appeared at San Francisco Opera as Frida Kahlo in Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz’s El último sueño de Frida y Diego and as Rosmira in Handel’s Partenope. In this production, she sings Idamante, a role which she first sang in San Francisco as an Adler Fellow in 2008. Her reconnection with her Argentinean heritage is the subject of In Song: Daniela Mack, one of San Francisco Opera’s free, video portraits which was shot on location in Buenos Aires. Appearances this season include those of Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Houston Grand Opera and Opera Omaha, and a return to Lyric Opera Chicago as Frida Kahlo in El último sueño de Frida y Diego.
Ying Fang as Ilia and Daniela Mack as Idamante in Mozart’s Idomeneo
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
Chinese soprano Ying Fang – who, according to the Financial Times, has “a voice that can stop time, pure and rich and open and consummately expressive” – makes her house debut as Princess Ilia. Previous performances, particularly in the operas of Mozart, have won her considerable praise at the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Paris Opéra and Vienna State Opera. She opened this current season with a house debut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, which she repeated at Lyric Opera Chicago. Further appearances include the roles of Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and her debut as Marzelline in Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Metropolitan Opera.
Elza van den Heever as Elettra in Mozart’s Idomeneo
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
South African soprano Elza van den Heever, who appears in this production as the Greek princess Elettra, is regarded as one of today’s leading dramatic sopranos. She began her career with San Francisco’s Merola Opera Programme, and appeared as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni while still an Adler Fellow, and she has also appeared for the Company as Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio. Operawire has described her voice as “…. the sweetest of the dramatic sopranos, her high notes the purest in execution …”. She opened this season as Leonore in Fidelio at Lyric Opera Chicago, and has also appeared in two of her signature roles – the Empress in Richard Strauss’ Frau ohne Schatten and Salome – at the Metropolitan Opera, as well as Sieglunde in Wagner’s Die Walküre at La Scala in Milan.
American tenor Alek Shrader reprises Arbace, the role he performed in 2008 while still an Adler Fellow. He recently appeared with the Company as Emilio in Handel’s Partenope, and his appearances with San Francisco Opera include Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, Tamino in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Count Almaviva in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and David in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. He has performed in many of the major opera houses of the world, including those of the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper and Hamburgische Staatsoper, as well as in the Salzburg and Glyndebourne festivals.
The San Francisco Opera Chorus in Mozart’s Idomeneo
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
The cast also includes bass-baritone and third-year Adler Fellow Jongwon Han as the Voice of the Oracle, together with Adler Fellows, sopranos Georgiana Adams and Mary Hoskins (Cretan Women), tenor Samuel White (High Priest of Neptune and Trojan Man) and Olivier Zerouali (Trojan Man) – all making their House debuts.
This production was first staged by Opera Australia in Melbourne, with sets by projection designer David Bergman and cinematographer Catherine Pettman of Sheoak Films, inspired by the surging seas and craggy coastlines of Tasmania. The scenery was originally designed by Michael Yeargan with additional set design consulting by Richard Roberts. Costumes are by Anna Cordingley, and original lighting design by Verity Hampson, revived by Justin A Partier. The fight director is Dave Maier.
Idomeneo will be sung in Italian with English supertitles, and the five performances are scheduled for June 14 to June 25 at the War Memorial Opera House. Further details and information on ticketing can be found on the San Francisco Opera website.
The performance of Idomeneo on Friday, June 20 at 7:30 pm Pacific, will be livestreamed to viewers in the United States and Europe. For tickets and more information, visit sfopera.com/digital/livestream.
Information sourced from:
San Francisco Opera program notes
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