Organization

Singer

Spoken

Alexander Pereira

The majordomo

Baritone

Michael Volle

A music teacher

Rolf Haustein

Soprano

Michelle Breedt

The composer

Tenor

Roberto Saccà

The tenor

Guy de Mey

The dance master

Andreas Winkler

Elena Mosuc

Zerbinetta

Emily Magee

The prima donna

Gabriel Bermúdez

Harlequin

Martin Zysset

Scaramuccio

Bass

Reinhard Mayr

Truffaldin

Blagoj Nacoski

Brighella

Eva Liebau

Naiad

Mezzo-soprano

Irène Friedli

Dryad

Sandra Trattnigg

Echo

Andrew Ashwin

The wigmaker

Ruben Drole

A lackey

Conductor

Christoph von Dohnányi

Jochen Rieder

Stage director

Claus Guth

Set designer

Christian Schmidt

Costume designer

Lighting designer

Jürgen Hoffmann

Opernhaus Zürich

Orchestra

Philharmonia Zürich

German

Ariadne auf Naxos -  (Ariadne on Naxos)

Zurich

Switzerland

Opernhaus

Lviv

Ukraine

Ariadne auf Naxos is one of many beautifully crafted operas created by Richard Strauss and his librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal. In the compelling production from the Zurich Opera, recorded on this DVD, Christoph von Dohnányi leads a particularly strong cast of singer-actors in a thrilling interpretation of the work. Ariadne is sung by the American soprano Emily Magee, who has received worldwide praise for her performances in works by both Wagner and Strauss. The German-born Italian tenor Roberto Saccà, who is regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of his generation, takes the part of Bacchus. Both made their role débuts under Christoph von Dohnányi’s subtle yet sensual leadership, and both were acclaimed for their vocal radiance, subtle handling of the text and the care that they lavished on the technical aspects of their parts. The critics were also captivated by the rest of the brilliant cast: Elena Moşuc (Zerbinetta) lightly mastered the incredible heights of her role, Michael Volle was a vocally resplendent Music Master and Michelle Breedt a touching Composer. An entertaining and intelligently crafted production of one of the key operas exploring the intertextuality that occurs between “real life” and what today would be called “virtual reality”.

Hugo von Hofmannsthal called "Ariadne auf Naxos", which he created in close collaboration with Richard Strauss, one of the "finest structures". In fact, in its complexity, the work represents something very special. Reality and appearance, stage world and reality, comedy and tragedy, the broken, unhappy Ariadne and the cheerful, partnership-changing Zerbinetta - all these contrasting couples are presented in this "opera with prologue" clearly played off against each other. Emily Magee and Roberto Saccà shine in their role debuts as Ariadne and Bacchus, as does Elena Mosuc's Zerbinetta, which is incomparably dazzling, and Michelle Breedt's composer, who is deeply moving. Christoph von Dohnányi, one of the great Strauss interpreters of our time,

Claus Guth and Christian Schmidt from the production team underscore the dichotomy between music and words with a well-planned, surprisingly new reading. The prologue takes place in the house of "Vienna's richest man", who commissioned an opera group and a commedia dell'arte ensemble to entertain his guests. Due to lack of time, the Major-Domo, played by the director of the Zurich Opera Alexander Pereira, demands that the very different artists should appear at the same time. In Claus Guth's interpretation, this prologue is linked by abstract theatrical metaphors. The staging transforms the fictional location of the "deserted island", as required in the second part of the "opera in the opera", into a very real location, namely the time-honoured Zurich restaurant "

Ariadne auf Naxos Strauss,R

Public

Ariadne on Naxos

Approved

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