Idomeneo is an Italian language opera seria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Varesco. Mozart and Varesco were commissioned in 1780 by Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria for a court carnival. It was first performed at the Cuvilliés Theatre of the Munich Residenz on January 29, 1781, under the baton of its 25-year-old composer. Idomeneo was Mozart's first mature opera with it he demonstrated a mastery of orchestral color, accompanied recitatives, and melodic line. Dramatically, it adheres to the traditions of opera seria, making formal use of choruses and unfolding more as a sequence of sets than as a well-developed plot. This 1991 recording stars Francisco Araiza, Susanne Mentzer and Barbara Hendricks. Sir Colin Davis conducts the Bayerischen Rundfunks Symphony Orchestra.