The Opera Idomeneo

[rockfordill]

Just saw Mozart's opera Idomeneo last night live streamed from the Met to one of our cinemas in Chichester. For a 2nd string Mozart opera it was really brilliant as is this whole streaming programme. For very reasonable prices one can see the best in the world! However I have a stupid question that has been bothering me. This opera was set just after the Trojan war with the victorious Greeks on Crete. They worshiped Neptune , the God of the sea, but why, he was a much later Roman God - the Greeks would have worshiped Poseidon, surely Mozart and his librettist would have know this?

[ladybirder]

Says Poseidon here rockford.
http://www.mozart.com/en/timeline/work/idomeneo/

[rockfordill]

How interesting Ladybirder - thanks for that. Neptune was definitely in last nights libretto, no matter I was just puzzled.

[ladybirder]

That's the American's for you;-))

[rockfordill]

Careful - I am an American !!!

[ladybirder]

LOL. I did put a ;-)) at the end to show I was joking.

[Peter Pedant]

well they have Neptune here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Idomeneo_controversy

this production at some point involved king idomeneo lugging on the severed head of Jesus Buddha and the prophet ( pbuh )

production rather predictably cancelled

( one can be too shocking )
but there again the americans kicked sinead out when she announced she was gonna burn the american flag on stage .....