KING IDOMENEO

Mozart's King Idomeneo was performed in Birmingham on 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23 August at

The Sherborne Building,

Icknield Square, off Ladywood Middleway,

Ladywood,

Birmingham B16 0PP.

King Idomeneo was SOLD OUT for it's entire run and was the hottest ticket in town.....

HAVE A LOOK AT THE PICTURES PRODUCED BY EYESKY PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTIVE.........CLICK HERE

and for some background info on the show......read on....

King Idomeneo…The back story.......

The Trojan Wars between the Allied forces of Greece against Troy, have ended with the Greeks triumphant. King Idomeneo is returning victorious to his Greek Kingdom of Crete. His son and heir, Prince Idamante awaits him anxiously. Poseidon, God of The Sea has whipped up a dreadful storm which threatens to wreck the Cretan fleet and drown King Idomeneo ....The King survives....but at what cost?

King Idomeneo saves his own life and cheats death only by making a terrible promise to sacrifice another in his place. Having promised Poseidon to sacrifice the first person he meets and glad to be alive, he sees his victim coming towards him -  to his horror he finds that he has sworn to kill his own son…..Prince Idamante.

A story of young love between sworn enemies, the hateful jealousy of a thwarted lover, and the futile attempts to escape the deadly repercussions of a selfish promise, play out in this rarely performed masterpiece.

Will King Idomeneo kill his son to save himself? Can love flourish between Princess Ilia a Trojan Prisoner of War and her enemy Prince Idamante or will Princess Electra get her man? And don't forget The Gods!! What havoc will Poseidon, God of the Sea, wreak on this tiny island Kingdom of Crete if their King Idomeneo fails to fulfil his oath?

Some of Mozart’s most beautiful music brings this powerful mythic tale of fathers and sons vividly alive and offers an ideal opportunity for the company to further involve Birmingham’s communities in developing and performing in a dazzling new production.

THE COMPANY

CAST

Idomeneo, Warrior King of Crete                Paul Nilon

Prince Idamante , His Son and Heir           Mark Wilde

Princess Ilia,  Trojan Prisoner of War        Anna Dennis

Princess Electra, Greek Exile                       Donna Bateman

Arbace, King Idomeneo's confidante           Iain Paton

High Priest, Poseidon Cult Leader                Andrew Clarke

Poseidon, The God of the Seas                     Keel Watson

Director:                         Graham Vick

Designer:                        Stuart Nunn

Movement:                     Ron Howell

Conductor:                     William Lacey

Chorus Master:              Jon Laird

Birmingham Opera Company Orchestra and Chorus

We had a singing chorus of 80, a performer's group of 80 drawn from across the city, and lots of collaborative work going on with Designer Stuart Nunn working a group of young designers from Birmingham City University and Nottingham Trent University, photographers,   and choreographer Ron Howell working with a multitude of groups including Hina and Co , Diverse Dance in collaboration with Gallery 37 and Sampad and students from Matthew Boulton College, South Birmingham College and Walsall Martial Arts Association.