 
Three Hungarians
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Ariadne auf Naxos
Ulrich Schreiber writes about advance in reverse
The opera is centred on the monologue of a woman in love who experienced a traumatic injury. The abandoned Ariadne is "the epitome of human loneliness". "That's why she needs company". Hofmannsthal has the characters constantly talk at cross purposes to one another and grope from one misunderstanding to another. This is cruel and at the same time comical. A new production of Ariadne auf Naxos is being prepared by stage director Jossi Wieler and dramaturge Sergio Morabito and will be conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi. Deborah Polaski will sing the title role, Zerbinetta will be sung by Nathalie Dessay.
In contrast to what he had originally intended Richard Strauss did not
renounce the orchestra of Wagnerian dimensions in Der Rosenkavalier and
in no way composed a Mozart opera liberated of the oppressive burden of
Salome and Elektra.
This was felt even more strongly than Strauss himself by Hugo von Hofmannsthal,
who had refined the composer's "often not quite irreproachable taste".
In May, 1911, four months after the premiere of Der Rosenkavalier, Hofmannsthal
sent Strauss the scenario of a chamber opera. Hofmannsthal had adapted
and translated Molière's comedy Le bourgeois gentilhomme and on
completing the work he had the idea of spicing this play with musical
interludes.
Richard Strauss had problems with Hofmannsthal's poetry
However, this one-act opera, "to be played after Molière's
Le bourgeois gentilhomme", was not a resounding success in 1912 in
the Stuttgart Court Theatre. In the words of the composer the audience
"was rather disgruntled and weary" and he felt that "it
all lasted a little bit too long". But Strauss in no way saw the
error with the "audience of halfwits". Their problems were the
same as his own in fathoming out Hofmannsthal's poetry. And that is what
led to a revision of the work and the usual present-day version of Ariadne
auf Naxos (thank goodness the discarded musical numbers were not lost,
as Strauss extended them and included them in his stage music for Molière's
Le bourgeois gentilhomme and later compiled them as an orchestral suite).
A nouveau riche produces an opera
In revising the work the original idea remained that Molière's nouveau riche Monsieur Jourdain orders the combination of two planned short operas: one heroic and one comic.
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| Photo: Gérard Uféras, Seamstress and cleaning ladies in the Karl-Böhm-Hall, 1996 |
However, having become the richest man in Vienna, he no longer appears
in person but leaves all the arrangements to his major-domo. His barbarity
is revealed in a prelude that portrays the suffering of the young composer
- a magnificent breeches part based on the previous model in Der Rosenkavalier.
But his heroic Ariadne opera, which is presented in combination with Zerbinetta's
clowning around,
is not the one discussed in the prelude.
Jossi Wieler emphasises the "breaks" in Ariadne
This is the starting-point for Jossi Wieler's production which does not
emphasise the continuity of the piece but its breaks. Hofmannsthal's intention
was to associate the invisible descendants of Molière's philistine
Monsieur Jourdain with the relevant public - something that Strauss did
not want to understand. That is why the composer insisted on an unclouded
positive finale, when the abandoned and death-seeking Ariadne sinks into
the arms of the god Bacchus, whom she thinks is the messenger of death,
and thereby gains new courage for living - tritely commented on by Zerbinetta.
see:
Director Jossi Wieler and Dramaturg
Sergio Morabito on their production of “Ariadne auf Naxos”
“Alas, there are innumerable such
barren islands among human beings, too” Naxos: geographical location and
spiritual landscape
Richard Strauss
Ariadne auf Naxos
sung in German
Conductor .......... Christoph von Dohnányi
Director and Dramaturgy .......... Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabio
Stage-sets and costume designs .......... Anna Viebrock
Lighting design .......... David Finn
The Major-domo .......... André Jung
A Music Master .......... John Bröcheler
The Composer .......... Susan Graham
The Tenor/Bacchus .......... Jon Villars
A Dancing Master .......... Jeffrey Francis
A Wig Maker .......... Markus Eiche
Zerbinetta .......... Natalie Dessay
Primadonna/Ariadne .......... Deborah Polaski
Harlequin .......... Russel Braun
Scaramouche .......... Heinz Göhring
Truffaldino .......... Franz-Josef Selig
Brighella .......... Gert-Henning-Jensen
Naiad .......... Diana Damrau
Dryad .......... Alice Coote
Echo .......... Martina Janková
Vienna Philharmonic
Grosses Festspielhaus
New production: 18 August 2001
21, 24, 27 (the opera starts at 7.30 p.m.) and 31 August (2.30 p.m.)
For Ariadne auf Naxos on 21, 27 and 31 August 2001 tickets are available
for ATS 2800, 3600 and 4600 from the ticket office of the Salzburg Festival.
Telephone: 0043 662 8045 579, Fax: 0043 662 8045 760,
e-mail: info@salzurgfestival.at.
The advance booking office
in the Schüttkasten is open from Monday to Friday from 9.30 a.m.
to 3 p.m.