A revival of the 2005 Luc Bondy production of Mozart's Idomeneo was the last title presented at La Scala in the 2008-2009 season. The production team included costume designer Rudy Sabounghi and set designer Erich Wonder.

With respect to the original production which had opened the first season after the Muti era raising mixed reactions, the director devised a number of changes, mostly aimed at simplifying the (already quite simple) staging.

The result was that the stage remained empty during pretty much the whole performance: the cubical structure which occupied part of the stage in the original production was moved to one side, and the red bubble monster was no longer seen on stage. The Trojan prisoners, dressed in dark coats, stood on a forsaken seaside at the beginning of the first act, with the dark sea still stormy on the background. All the action took place by the seashore, with the lightning suggesting a somewhat more peaceful atmosphere after Idamante freed the prisoners.

When Elettra, wearing a beautiful blue costume, sang her first aria, the stage was dark, suggesting a night setting. But most of the time the lights were grayish, and the gloomy setting did not leave much space for optimism even at the end, throwing a shade on the apparent happy ending.

The vocal side was far from perfect: Richard Croft in the title role sang with a smallish voice and often used falsetto, and Patrizia Ciofi as Ilia displayed some problems controlling her voice. Carmela Remigio as Elettra was better, but her low range sounded somewhat empty, while Tomislav Muzek was at odds with the relatively small role of Arbace. The best on stage was mezzo-soprano Laura Polverelli, a thoughtful Idamente, with good control over her nicely colored voice.

Maestro Myung-Whun Chung conducted the orchestra without delving much into the score, but the result was appreciable.

Even before the audience's reaction, the numerous empty seats indicated scarce interest. Now everybody in Milan is waiting for December 7, when the new season will open with a new production of Carmen, a title which has not been seen at La Scala for 25 years.