Houston.(Idomeneo, re di Creta)(Opera Review)

The gods were surely smiling on Houston Grand Opera's production of Mozart's Idomeneo, seen January 28. A propitious alignment of mortals made this an evening to remember. With stunning visual simplicity and breathtaking musical execution, this Idomeneo joins the best work that HGO has done and becomes a fitting contribution to its fiftieth-year celebration.

Australian director Moffat Oxenbould, along with Carl Friedrich Oberle (sets and costumes) and Nigel Levings (lighting), offered a production inspired by the late Goren Jarvefelt, who favored a simple raked set, as seen in Stockholm's Drottningholm Theatre in the eighteenth century. The minimalist look, with bare walls, muted colors and few props, provided the perfect framework for the intersection of fate and humanity that drives the story of Idomeneo. Emphasizing Enlightenment values, Oxenbould proved that traditional stagings can hold their own and then some against the vogue of trendy productions.

Visual simplicity requires an ensemble of first-rate singer-actors, and HGO's singing and playing were of outstanding quality and consistency. Susan Graham was in top form as the anguished prince Idamante. Her gorgeous mezzo timbre and marvelous technique shone in arias such as "Non ho colpa" and "II padre adorato"; her signature restraint and superb dignity were right in line with the aims of the production. Laura Claycomb dispatched the role of Ilia with brilliance and sensitivity, excelling in her coloratura moments and showing off her considerable lyric expressivity in her first aria, the lament "Padre, germani, addio!" Alexandra Deshorties affected appropriate cunning and fury as Elettra, nowhere more persuasively than in her rage aria, "Tutto nel cor vi sento."

Richard Croft, who replaced the originally scheduled Torsten Kerl in the title role, gave a nuanced yet powerful account of Idomeneo. While the early "Vedrommi intorno" convincingly showed Idomeneo in despair, Croft assumed a royal persona in Act II and interacted persuasively with others. The virtuoso aria "Fuor del mar" was thrilling. The four singers blended beautifully in the moving quartet of Act Ill, one of Idomeneo's few ensembles.

Idomeneo is richly scored and presents challenges similar to those found in Mozart's instrumental pieces. Under Patrick Summers, the HGO orchestra served up some beautiful playing, as in the expressive wind solos and muted strings of Ilia's "Se il padre perdei." Summers's sensitive collaboration with singers was evident throughout; one highlight was the subtle pacing of the chromatic chord when Idamante learns of his ...