Ariadne auf Naxos at Garsington tonight

Ariadne auf Naxos is the fruit of the successful creative partnership between Richard Strauss and librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal who came up with this eccentric idea after quite a few rewrites. Part of the unique flavour of this, the second version, derives from Strauss’s brilliant juxtaposition of low comedy and high tragedy. In the prologue, he is at home depicting the quarrels and chaos of backstage theatrical life. In the opera, he slips easily from the heroic style in which Ariadne’s part is composed to the buffooning of the commedia dell’arte characters. The combination strikes at the heart of what music and drama mean with a lightness of touch and sumptuous music. The creative team of director Bruno Ravella and conductor Mark Wigglesworth lead an excellent cast in the 2023 Garsington Opera production, which was acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, brought to you by Slippedisc, courtesy of OperaVision.  Natalya Romaniw sings the title role amd Jennifer France sings the role of Zerbinetta.

The Plot:  An opera of two halves? A comedy of two halves? Ariadne auf Naxos is both at once and centres around the proposal of ‘the richest man in Vienna’ to commission two entertainments, one from a serious opera composer and one from a troupe of comedians. When he discovers that sitting through both separately would delay the firework display he has planned, he gives orders for the two shows to be performed simultaneously on the same stage. The earnest young Composer is horrified while the pragmatic Zerbinetta is happy to give it a go. As a result, the story of Ariadne, abandoned by Theseus on the island of Naxos and despairing of her lost love, is interrupted repeatedly by the comedians, keen to help and to advise her that the best way to cure a broken heart is to find another lover.

Streamed on Friday 26th April 2024  at 1900 CET / 1800 London  / 1300 NY