Mozart's Il re pastore

Already knee-deep in the process of foreshadowing his future operas (Idomeneo, re di creta, and especially La clemenza di Tito), Mozart set Metastasio's libretto to music, having discovered it earlier at a performance of the Giardini version. He workshopped the text by fabricating acts out of one, among other changes. Even though he was staging the classic conflict between love and duty prevalent in tragedies, Mozart gave his protagonists a happy ending by swapping out the original serious libretto and infusing it with merriment by way of light arias and mellifluous musical passages.

What makes a good king? How should he conduct himself? These are questions that have long fascinated the most enlightened thinkers. Il re pastore provides an answer through the character of Aminta (Annette Dasch), the legitimate young heir to the city of Sidon, who becomes a shepherd after invaders took the throne. The play opens with Alexander the Great (Kresimir Spicer), King of Macedonia, who wishes to return his throne to Aminta after having conquered Sidon. The only condition is that the young shepherd must marry Tamiri (Arpiné Rahdjian), the daughter of the former tyrant. Aminta, already enamored with a young shepherdess named Elisa, chooses to give up the throne to stay with his beloved. The Emperor, admiring his decision, allows him to take back his crown and marry Elisa. He offers Tamiri a new fiancé, his friend Agénor (Andreas Karasiak), as well as the promise of ruling the next kingdom he conquers.

Simple yet evocative, Aniara Amos's mesmerizing staging and Thomas Hengelbrock's direction join forces to create a masterpiece. The characters seem to be trapped inside a house of cards, with the work constantly walking a fine line between despair and joviality. The dazzling spirit of Mozart's music seems to flourish in this delicate balance.