[1] The world premiere of the rediscovered and restored opera in a concert production took place on November 11, 2024, at the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, conducted by UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko.

It is based on the well-known myth about King Oedipus, his sons Eteocles and Polynices, and his daughters Antigone and Ismene.

After Jocasta's suicide and Oedipus' exile, the throne remains without a ruler, leading to a struggle between his sons.

The newly elected king orders the burial of Eteocles with honors, while Polynices' body is left unburied.

True to the tradition that originated in the early days of the opera genre (Florentine Camerata, late sixteenth century), the printed libretto of 1776 defines Creonte as drama per musica.

[4] Comprising two acts (14 and 8 scenes), the opera follows a structured format with solo arias, duets, recitatives, choruses, and instrumental pieces.

Comparing the libretto of "Antigone" with that of "Creonte", Mooser discovered that Bortnyansky simplified the text, reducing it from three acts to two and changing its title.

[7] The score of the opera is preserved in two handwritten books, with each act in a separate volume, comprising a total of 270 sheets or 540 pages.

In 2023, copies of the handwritten score of Creonte were brought to Ukraine for research and future performance by Ukrainian musicologist, Professor of the Department of Music Theory at the Lviv National Music Academy named after Mykola Lysenko, Doctor of Arts Olga Shumilina.

[8] The 540 pages of Dmytro Bortnyansky’s rediscovered manuscript were carefully studied, digitized, and adapted for modern performance.

On November 11, 2024, the opera Creonte was given a second life, revived with the support of UNESCO,[10] and returned to the world during its global premiere in concert form.