"Idomeneo" is a staged opera production produced by the renowned Music Festival Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele which will be performed twice at the festival, the 8 and 9 of July 2016. The orchestral part will be played by BandArt, an extraordinary Spanish orchestra under its musical director Gordan Nikolic, with the support of Acción Cultural Española. The famous German singer Maximilian Schmitt will play the main role of Idomeneo, other professional singers will work with a group of Syrian and other civil war refugees performing on stage.
Idomeneo is an opera covering the lost home, an opera of yearning. Idomeneo returns from the Trojan War after having been led astray. Whilst at sea, he sails into a terrible storm, but is saved. However, the gods demand he makes a sacrifice: He is to kill the first living creature he comes across on Crete. It is his own son, Idamante. The characters are all stranded in a way: Ilia, the deported daughter of the Trojan king, Idamante who has to flee the gods' wrath and finally Elettra who had fled to Idomeneo after the matricide and fell hopelessly in love with Idamante.
The musical narrative in Mozart's masterpiece has such a topical quality that we decided to stage this opera together with the Stuttgart association Zuflucht Kultur e. V. Bernd Schmitt who created the spectacular staging of »Così fan tutte« with Syrian civil war refugees will be staging »Idomeneo«. This time an international ensemble of asylum seekers participates in the production as well. Thanks to his extraordinary musical and dramaturgic sensitivity Schmitt is able to bind their moving and heart-wrenching experiences with the power and love games.
One of the most extraordinary ensemble projects in Europe will bring us brilliant orchestral sound: The 50 musicians of BandArt form a unique orchestra, at all times playing without a conductor. The musical director Gordan Nikolic, normally the concert master of the London Symphony Orchestra, is responsible for rehearsals. For the singing parts we have managed to engage an ensemble of young singers, among them for the title role, Maximilian Schmitt - one of the most multi-faceted opera singers of his generation.
Idomeneo is an opera covering the lost home, an opera of yearning. Idomeneo returns from the Trojan War after having been led astray. Whilst at sea, he sails into a terrible storm, but is saved. However, the gods demand he makes a sacrifice: He is to kill the first living creature he comes across on Crete. It is his own son, Idamante. The characters are all stranded in a way: Ilia, the deported daughter of the Trojan king, Idamante who has to flee the gods' wrath and finally Elettra who had fled to Idomeneo after the matricide and fell hopelessly in love with Idamante.
The musical narrative in Mozart's masterpiece has such a topical quality that we decided to stage this opera together with the Stuttgart association Zuflucht Kultur e. V. Bernd Schmitt who created the spectacular staging of »Così fan tutte« with Syrian civil war refugees will be staging »Idomeneo«. This time an international ensemble of asylum seekers participates in the production as well. Thanks to his extraordinary musical and dramaturgic sensitivity Schmitt is able to bind their moving and heart-wrenching experiences with the power and love games.
One of the most extraordinary ensemble projects in Europe will bring us brilliant orchestral sound: The 50 musicians of BandArt form a unique orchestra, at all times playing without a conductor. The musical director Gordan Nikolic, normally the concert master of the London Symphony Orchestra, is responsible for rehearsals. For the singing parts we have managed to engage an ensemble of young singers, among them for the title role, Maximilian Schmitt - one of the most multi-faceted opera singers of his generation.
