Ріхард Штраус: "Аріадна на Наксосі" [Blu-ray]

ith great result opera director and acting director of the Salzburg Festival Sven-Erich Bechtholf at the Salzburg Festival in 2012 staged an enriched with elements of theater, comedy and dance original version of Richard Strauss's opera Ariadne auf Naxos. The premiere was hailed as a highlight of the festival, which was also due to the outstanding musical performance of all parties involved: the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and outstanding soloists shone under the baton of Daniel Harding. Jonas Kaufman gave a highly acclaimed debut as Bacchus and the other soloists were studded cast that includes Emily Magee (Ariadne), Elena Mosuc (Zerbinetta), Peter Mati (Steward), Cornelius Obonya (Monsieur Jourdain), Roberto Saccà, Regina Fritsch and Stefanie Dvorak. Ariadne auf Naxos was the third collaboration by Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal, written directly after the great success of Der Rosenkavalier. Originally planned as a "divertissement with a small chamber orchestra", the project expanded into a grand venture combining opera, drama and ballet – and was a flop at its world premiere in 1912. Now the Salzburg Festival pledges to fulfill "the still-wonderful dream of its creators: to bring together the different genres of theater, ballet, drama, music and singing." Sven-Eric Bechtolf will direct this unconventional production, and has not only adapted Molière's play Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, which preceded the opera at the time, but has also reinstated the ballet music written for it subsequently. "A hundred years have passed since Hofmannsthal began to work on this tale with the fiercely practical and dramaturgically highly talented Strauss, one hundred years since the disastrous world premiere of Ariadne auf Naxos. We take this 'anniversary' as an opportunity to revisit the original version. And where would this make more sense than in Salzburg?"