Music: The Seria Side of Opera

In Chicago, a short season means a long run

Noble flop or neglected masterpiece? The question has followed Mozart's opera Idomeneo almost since its birth in 1781. Last week in Chicago the Lyric Opera voted for masterpiece, shoring up its case with the kind of virtuoso singing and playing that has made the company synonymous with excellence.

The curse upon Idomeneo was not easy to lift. Its setting is ancient Crete, where King Idomeneo and his gang are squirming under the rule of a choleric god. Stormbound at sea while returning from the Trojan War,...

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