Very, very soon, the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance will be presenting Richard Strauss’s opera Ariadne auf Naxos! This opera, one of Strauss’s last big hits as an opera composer, is a wild juxtaposition of grandiose tragedy and rollicking comedy.
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The plot concerns an evening of entertainment being held at the house of the richest man in Vienna. There is going to be a performance of a tragic opera, based on the myth of Ariadne on the island of Naxos, followed by a performance by a troupe of comedians, called Zerbinetta and Her Four Lovers. The Composer of the opera, already distraught by the idea of his majestic work of art being immediately followed by frivolous buffoonery, is even more horrified when the Major-Domo of the event orders that, due to time constraints, the opera and the comedians will have to perform simultaneously.
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In the first section of the opera, the music evokes the franticness of backstage life, with interjections from everybody from the prima donna star singers to the stagehands. There’s also a sublime duet between the Composer and the comedienne starlet Zerbinetta, where the Composer explains why he finds the story of Ariadne so beautiful, and Zerbinetta sings about the loneliness of life as an actor. In the second half, the opera-within-the-opera, there are long stretches of lovely, contemplative melody, courtesy of Ariadne, who is in a perpetual state of grief due to having been abandoned by her lover, Theseus. Meanwhile, the clowns sing peppy, carnivalesque tunes as they try to cheer Ariadne up and convince her to move on. In the end, Ariadne’s sad story ends well when she meets a charming young demigod by the name of Bacchus, and they celebrate their newfound love by singing a duet, and everybody is happy (especially the audience, who gets to hear all this wonderful music).
Throughout the show, musical juxtapositions contrast the earnest high-mindedness of people like the Composer and Ariadne with the earthy skepticality of Zerbinetta and her troupe of comedians. If I’m making this show sound really pretentious, let me assure you right now that it definitely is not—this is one of the most fun operas ever written, in my opinion. In addition, I personally think that Strauss’s compositional style, while somewhat controversial in its day, is quite accessible for modern listeners—it’s full of lush, vibrant colors and unusual, occasionally dissonant, yet beautiful melodies. What’s more, it zips along at a quick pace, only slowing down when there is a melody really worth savoring. I can hardly wait to see (and review) this show!
Ariadne auf Naxos will be playing at the Lydia Mendelssohn theatre at the following times:
Thursday, March 28th at 7:30 PM
Friday, March 29th at 8 PM
Saturday, March 30th at 8 PM
Sunday, March 31st at 4:30 PM
