April 03, 2020

Idomeneo: "Solitudine amiche...Zeffiretti lusinghieri"

"Solitudine amiche...Zeffiretti lusinghieri" is a soprano aria from Act Three of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera Idomeneo.

One of Mozart's noblest characters, King Idomeneo of Crete is also the most loving of operatic fathers. Shipwrecked, he gets safely to shore only after promising Neptune to sacrifice the first person he sees—but it's his son, Idamante. As Idomeneo agonizes over the catastrophe facing him, Idamante woos one princess, the lovely Ilia, and is madly pursued by another, the jealous Elettra.

Here, in a moment of solitude, the Trojan captive princess Ilia (Janai Brugger) — unaware that her beloved, the Cretan prince Idamante, is nearby  thinks of him and asks the breezes to carry her love to him.

"Solitudine amiche...Zeffiretti lusinghieri"

Song title: "Solitudine amiche...Zeffiretti lusinghieri"

Opera: Idomeneo

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Year Written: 1781

Language: Italian

Performance dates: October 18 – November 2, 2018

Artists: Janai Brugger (Ilia) and the Lyric Opera Orchestra under Maestro Sir Andrew Davis


Special thanks to the Chicago Federation of Musicians local 10-208 and artists of the American Guild of Musical Artists.

Photo: Kyle Flubacker