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Idaspe follows two children from the post-war Middle East who came to Naples as refugees. They are separated in an underworld where organized crime is more welcoming than ‘legitimate’ business, and grown to adulthood, the siblings become powerful bosses of two opposing clans. Artaserse, the more brutal, kidnaps two women from his rivals, an incident that will force a face-to-face clash in this escalating war.

The prison of the captives is a literal one, but all the characters are chained by circumstance and their emotions. Their existential struggle is described in transcendent music. Might they find that all-consuming power and violence are not the only means to survive?

Sung in Italian, English text projected above stage.

Created by Claire van Kampen and Chatham Baroque from Riccardo Broschi,
Directed by Claire van Kampen,
With the support of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust