„Idomeneo,” written to a libretto by Giambattista Varesco based on an earlier French play by Antoine Danchet, intended for André Campra, which ultimately remained musically unperformed, tells the story of a Cretan king who, returning from a victorious war with Troy, emerges from a sea storm, surviving, to offer Poseidon (Neptune) the life of the first man he meets on land in gratitude for his survival. Unfortunately, as is often the case in Greek tragedy, the first person he encounters is his son, Idamante. However, throughout the opera, the father hesitates between sacrificing his son’s life and sending him into exile in Argos, where he must deal with the monster that is decimating Crete, sent by Poseidon, angered by Ideomeneo’s disobedience. (Orfeo)