Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos (Ariadne on Naxos), Op. 60

Introduction

Ariadne auf Naxos (Ariadne on Naxos), Op. 60, is an opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Combining slapstick comedy and consummately beautiful music, the opera's theme is the competition between high and low art for the public's attention.

Charlotte Erwin has studied in detail Strauss' pre-sketch planning for the opera. Bryan Gilliam has examined the theme of Verwandlung (transformation) in the opera.

First version (1912)

The opera was originally conceived as a 30-minute divertissement to be performed at the end of Hofmannsthal's adaptation of Molière's play Le Bourgeois gentilhomme. Besides the opera, Strauss provided incidental music to be performed during the play. In the end, the opera occupied ninety minutes, and the performance of play plus opera occupied over six hours. It was first performed at the Hoftheater Stuttgart on 25 October 1912. The director was Max Reinhardt. The combination of the play and opera proved to be unsatisfactory to the audience: those who had come to hear the opera resented having to wait until the play finished.

The opera-and-play version was produced in Zürich on 5 December 1912 and Prague on 7 December 1912. The Munich premiere followed on 30 January 1913 in the old Residenztheater, a venue which was inferior for the presentation of opera, both acoustically and due to lack of space for the musicians. Hofmannsthal overruled the conductor Bruno Walter's preference for the Hofoper, on the grounds that the smaller theatre was more suitable for a work of this kind. The cast included the American Maude Fay as Ariadne, Otto Wolf as Bacchus, and Hermine Bosetti as Zerbinetta.

Strauss, being a native son, had a close association with Munich and was held in high regard, but had to miss the performance as he was on a concert tour in Russia. The audience openly expressed its disapproval of the piece by hissing after the first act. For the succeeding performances, Walter introduced cuts and moved the production to the Hoftheater, and the attendance began to improve. The 1912 version was also produced in Berlin beginning on 27 February 1913 and in Amsterdam in 1914.

In London the early version was given eight times at His Majesty's Theatre beginning on 27 May 1913. The Hofmannsthal adaptation of Molière's play was presented in an English translation by W. Somerset Maugham under the title The Perfect Gentleman. The opera was sung in German with Eva von der Osten, Hermine Bosetti and Otakar Marák, conducted by Thomas Beecham. The reviewer in The Musical Times found the incidental music for the play to be more attractive than that for the opera, which nevertheless had "many strong emotional appeals." However, the orchestration of the opera was thought to be "peculiar", and in the finale, the love-making of Bacchus and Ariadne, tedious.

In 2012, the Salzburg Festival revived the first version, staged by Sven-Eric Bechtolf, and sung by Emily Magee, Elena Moșuc and Jonas Kaufmann, with conductor Daniel Harding.

Second version (1916)

After these initial performances, it became apparent that the work as it stood was impractical: it required a company of actors as well as an opera company, was thus very expensive to mount, and its length was likely to be a problem for audiences. So in 1913, Hofmannsthal proposed to Strauss that the play should be replaced by a prologue, which would explain why the opera combines a serious classical story with a comedy performed by a commedia dell'arte group. He also moved the action from Paris to Vienna. Strauss was initially reluctant, but he composed the prologue (and modified some aspects of the opera) in 1916, and this revised version was first performed at the Vienna State Opera on 4 October of that year. This is the version that is normally staged today, although the original play-plus-opera has been occasionally performed, such as at the 1997 Edinburgh International Festival and at the 2012 Salzburg Festival.

The most important aria in either version is Zerbinetta's "Großmächtige Prinzessin" (High and mighty princess). Other important pieces of the opera are the arias of Ariadne "Wo war ich?" (Where was I?), "Ein Schönes war" (There was something beautiful) and "Es gibt ein Reich" (There is a realm). Also of note is the Composer's aria "Sein wir wieder gut!" (Let's be friends again).

Performance history of the second version

After its premiere in Vienna, the second version was first performed in Berlin on 1 November 1916, followed by Zürich on 28 January 1917 (in a production by the Mannheim Opera). It was first presented in Budapest on 19 April 1919 (in a Hungarian translation by Z. Harsányi), and in German in Graz on 12 March 1920, Amsterdam in January 1924, and London at the Royal Opera House on 27 May 1924 with Lotte Lehmann as Ariadne, Maria Ivogün as Zerbinetta (in her debut with the company), Elisabeth Schumann as the Composer, Karl Fischer-Niemann as Bacchus, and Carl Alwin conducting. Despite the stellar cast, the production was not successful, with one of the lowest box office returns of the season. It was repeated only once.

It was first performed in Italy in Turin at the Teatro di Turino (it) on 7 December 1925 (in an Italian translation by O. Schanzer); in Sweden in Stockholm on 27 November 1926 (in Swedish); in Brussels on 17 March 1930 (in a French translation by P. Spaak); in Helsinki on 12 May 1931 (in a Finnish translation by A. af Enehjelm); in Rome at the Teatro Reale on 28 March 1935 (in German); Antwerp on 28 September 1935 (in Flemish); and in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 10 September 1937 (in German).

The United States premiere of the opera was given in German by the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company at the Academy of Music on 1 November 1928. Conducted by Alexander Smallens, the cast included Alma Peterson as the Primadonna/Ariadne, Charlotte Boykin as Zerbinetta, Irene Williams as the Composer, and Judson House as the Tenor/Bacchus. It was presented by the Juilliard School in New York City in English in a translation by A. Kalisch on 5 December 1934 with a cast of students including Josephine Antoine as Zerbinetta, Mack Harrell as Truffaldino, and Risë Stevens as Dryad. The opera was performed for the first time in Canada by the New York City Opera on tour at the Montreal Festivals in 1946.

Productions in Vienna and Salzburg

The original production at the Vienna State Opera from 1916 was performed 93 times until 1934. Amongst others, the title part was sung by Claire Born (de), Fanny Cleve, Charlotte Dahmen, 33 times by Maria Jeritza, 25 times by Lotte Lehmann, Germaine Lubin, Maria Nemeth, Vera Schwarz, Lucie Weidt and Paula Windheuser.

In 1926, the opera was first presented at the Salzburg Festival, staged by Lothar Wallerstein in Viennese settings, twice conducted by Clemens Krauss and once by Richard Strauss himself. Lotte Lehmann was Salzburg's first Ariadne. Wallerstein was also the stage director of the second Viennese production in 1935, with settings by Oskar Strnad and costumes by Ladislaus Czettel. Josef Krips conducted. There were 38 performances until September 1943. Three months later a new production by Heinz Arnold was presented, with settings by Wilhelm Reinking and conducted by Karl Böhm. The cast featured Maria Reining as Ariadne, Max Lorenz as Bacchus, Alda Noni as Zerbinetta, Irmgard Seefried as composer, Paul Schöffler as Musiklehrer, Erich Kunz as Harlekin and Emmy Loose as Najade. Due to the war this production could only be shown seven times.

In 1947, Lothar Wallerstein, Robert Kautsky (stage settings and costumes) and Josef Krips presented a new production of the Vienna State Opera at the Theater an der Wien. The cast included Maria Reining, Max Lorenz, Irmgard Seefried, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Alfred Poell, Erich Kunz, Peter Klein, Marjan Rus, Dagmar Hermann, Elisabeth Rutgers and Emmy Loose. This production was performed 20 times, also with Maria Cebotari, Lisa Della Casa, Anny Konetzni (de) and Hilde Zadek as Ariadne, and with Peter Anders, Josef Gostic, Julius Patzak and Helge Rosvaenge as Bacchus.

In 1954, the opera premiered at the Salzburg Festival Hall, staged by Josef Gielen with settings and costumes by Stefan Hlawa. Karl Böhm conducted the Vienna Philharmonic, Lisa Della Casa and Rudolf Schock sang Ariadne and Bacchus, Irmgard Seefried was the composer and Hilde Güden represented Zerbinetta. The production was repeated during the following summer, and then went to Vienna, where it premiered in 1956 with a new cast: Hilde Zadek and Josef Gostic as Ariadne and Bacchus, Christa Ludwig as composer and Erika Köth as Zerbinetta.

In 1964, Günther Rennert staged a new production in Salzburg, again conducted by Karl Böhm. Sena Jurinac (composer), Jess Thomas (Bacchus), Reri Grist (Zerbinetta) and Christa Ludwig (Ariadne) were the most prominent cast members, supported by Lisa Otto, Lucia Popp, Paul Schöffler, David Thaw and Gerhard Unger in smaller roles. This production was also repeated the following summer.

In 1976, again Karl Böhm conducted a new Vienna State Opera production, this time designed and staged by Filippo Sanjust, with Gundula Janowitz as Ariadne, James King als Bacchus, Agnes Baltsa as composer and Edita Gruberová as Zerbinetta, supported by Erich Kunz, Walter Berry, Heinz Zednik, Barry McDaniel, Kurt Equiluz, Axelle Gall and Sona Ghazarian. Janowitz sang the Ariadne 48 times in Vienna, followed by Lisa Della Casa (40 performances), Anni Konetzni (34), Maria Jeritza (33), Leonie Rysanek (30), Lotte Lehmann (25), Gwyneth Jones (14), Maria Reining and Anna Tomowa-Sintow (both 12 performances each), Christel Goltz and Claire Watson (both 10).

From 1979 to 1982, the Salzburg Festival showed a new staging by Dieter Dorn, settings and costumes by Jürgen Rose, again conducted by Karl Böhm, with a cast headed by Hildegard Behrens and James King, with Trudeliese Schmidt, Edita Gruberová, Walter Berry, Kurt Equiluz, Murray Dickie and Olivera Miljaković.

Metropolitan Opera performances

(12 appearances: 7 in the fall of 1997 and 5 in the spring of 2003).Natalie Dessay (9 appearances in 1987–8), and Kathleen Battle (7 appearances in 1963–4), Roberta Peters role of Zerbinetta have included, besides Gianna D'Angelo, who sang it 7 times, coloratura soprano (8 appearances in 1984–5). Singers of the Maria Ewing (4 appearances in March 1970), and Evelyn Lear (9 appearances: 4 in 1963–4; 1 in 1970; and 4 in the spring of 1994), Teresa Stratas, Irmgard Seefried (3 appearances in the spring of 2011). Soprano interpreters of the Composer have included Joyce DiDonato (5 appearances in the winter of 2010), and Sarah Connolly (5 appearances in the fall of 2005), Susan Graham (20 appearances from 1993 to 2003), Susanne Mentzer (19 appearances from 1976 to 1988), Tatiana Troyanos (17 appearances from 1993 to 2003). The role of the Composer has been sung there most often by a mezzo-soprano (at least 64 times), including, besides Kerstin Meyer, who sang the role 6 times, Deborah Voigt (22 appearances from 1984 to 1993) and Jessye Norman, who has conducted it a total of 44 times from 1976 to 2003. Interpreters of the role of Ariadne at the Met have included James Levine, first presented in 1993, followed by revivals in 1994, 1996–7, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2010. The opera is a favorite of the Met's music director Elijah Moshinsky As of 20 February 2010 it had been performed there a total of 88 times with revivals of the original production in 1963–4, 1970, 1976, 1979, 1984–5, and 1987–8, and a new production, directed by conducting.Karl Böhm as the Music Master, and Walter Cassel as the Composer, Kerstin Meyer as Zerbinetta, the mezzo-soprano Gianna D'Angelo as Bacchus, Jess Thomas as Ariadne, Leonie Rysanek in New York City on 29 December 1962 with Metropolitan OperaThe opera was first performed at the