Ariadne on Naxos

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Work data
Title: Ariadne on Naxos
Emily Magee as Ariadne and Jonas Kaufmann as Bacchus, Salzburg Festival 2012

Emily Magee as Ariadne and Jonas Kaufmann as Bacchus, Salzburg Festival 2012

Shape: 1) “Opera in one act. To be played after Molière's 'citizen as nobleman'. "
2)" Opera in one act and a prelude "
Original language: German
Music: Richard Strauss
Libretto : Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Premiere: 1) October 25, 1912
2) October 4, 1916
Place of premiere: 1) Small house of the Stuttgart Court Theater
2) Vienna Court Opera
Playing time: 2) approx. 2 ¼ hours
Place and time of the action: Prelude: Vienna , end of the 17th century;
Opera: Naxos , in mythical prehistory
people

Prelude (version 2)

  • The steward ( speaking role )
  • A music teacher ( baritone )
  • The composer ( soprano )
  • Prima donna - Ariadne (soprano)
  • The Tenor - Bacchus ( Tenor )
  • The officer (tenor)
  • The dance master (tenor)
  • The wig maker (high bass )
  • Lackey (bass)

People from the Commedia dell'arte

People of the opera

As an interlude (characters from the foreplay):

  • Zerbinetta, Harlequin, Scaramuccio, Truffaldin, Brighella

Ariadne auf Naxos (op. 60) is an opera by Richard Strauss . The libretto was written by Hugo von Hofmannsthal . The first version (TrV 228) was intended to conclude a performance of Molière's Der Bürger als Edelmann . It was premiered in this form on October 25, 1912 in the Stuttgart Court Theater. Hofmannsthal and Strauss then replaced Molière's comedy with a new “prelude”. The first performance of this second version (TrV 228a) took place on October 4, 1916 in the Vienna Court Opera .

action

The framework of the first version (without prelude) takes place in the house of a rich man (Monsieur Jourdain from Molière's The Citizen as a Nobleman ) in Paris. In the second version, the owner is an unnamed Viennese nouveau riche. Hugo von Hofmannsthal described the stage of the second version in detail in his information for the design of the decorative in Ariadne.

Prelude - In the palace of a nouveau riche

"A large hall in the Baroque or Rococo style, in which the 'stage' is built by theater workers, the rooms for the singers' cloakrooms and masks can be taken outside the room or also built into the hall in a poor improvised manner, the The overall picture should not deviate much from that of a 'rehearsal stage', the back of the prospectuses and backdrops can and should be visible, the lighting should be poor, in short, the whole thing can be done by a skilful director with the help of any opera decoration - not exactly medieval - Hall represents, are produced. "

- Hugo von Hofmannsthal

The opera seria Ariadne is to be performed in the house of a nouveau riche , followed immediately by a rough dance piece. The opera composer's music teacher hears about this and complains about it to the steward. He replies that it is up to the landlord to decide what and in what order he wants to see it listed, because after all he pays for “the spectacle”. The performers of the pieces and the composer gradually arrive, including Zerbinetta with her four partners (Harlequin, Brighella, Scaramuccio and Truffaldin), who are supposed to dance to the fun aftermath of the opera. The composer is fascinated by Zerbinetta, this "delightful girl". Then the music teacher takes his pupil aside and tells him what he had heard. The composer is indignant. A funny dance game should never be performed after its work of art. The steward appears with the latest orders from his master. The opera seria and the opera buffa should be given at the same time , and the whole piece should only last an hour, because after that (at nine o'clock) the fireworks for the guests must start on time.

The music teacher is horrified, the dance master confident. He suggests that the opera seria should first be shortened and the dance scenes should be carefully incorporated there. The composer is initially indignant. However, Zerbinetta knows how to convince him and explains the piece from her point of view:

“The play goes like this: A princess has been abandoned by her bridegroom, and her next suitor has not yet arrived. The stage represents a desert island. We are a lively company that happens to be on the island [...] and as soon as an opportunity presents itself, we step on and join the action. "

The composer is torn back and forth, exuberantly celebrating the power of music: “Music is a sacred art.” When the performance is about to begin and Zerbinetta and her companions storm onto the stage, his mood changes again: “Who was called you me pull into this world? Let me freeze to death, starve, stone in mine! "

Opera - Wild landscape on Naxos

“As far as decoration (and costumes) is concerned, the opera 'Ariadne' should not be considered parodic, but rather in the heroic operatic style of the older period (Louis XIV. Or Louis XV.), Older existing decorations for Gluck's operas can serve as a guide It may be possible to put together the decoration from such a material. Heroic sea beach with a cave, possibly old backdrops (trees, rocks) with straight alleys. The whole approached the Poussin style. Ariadne's cave can be painted either three-dimensionally or flat, but in the latter case it must have a practical entrance.

Indispensable is the suggestion that what is meant here is a game within a game, a stage on stage. This can be done by a built-in proscenium as a stage frame with barred boxes and a few extras: also three in the style of the XVIII. Century hanging in the heroic stage chandeliers will contribute to this illusion, which can be achieved by the director in other ways. "

- Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Ariadne ( Anne Schwanewilms ), Zerbinetta ( Ha Young Lee ) and Singspiel-Truppe. Hamburg State Opera , 2012
Ariadne (Anne Schwanewilms) and Bacchus ( Johan Botha ), Hamburg 2012

The three nymphs Naiad, Dryad and Echo pity Ariadne, who was abandoned by her beloved Theseus on the island of Naxos . Heartbroken, she complains about the hopelessness of her life. She's just waiting for the messenger of death. Zerbinetta and her companions try to cheer Ariadne up with dancing and singing. However, this fails. Then Zerbinetta tries in a private conversation, from woman to woman, to give Ariadne a new courage to live (with one of the most spectacular coloratura arias): The mighty princess . She shares her philosophy of life with Ariadne - especially her point of view on love and loyalty: "When the new God came, I was surrendered," but she can neither cheer nor convince Ariadne. Ariadne withdraws silently into her cave. Then Zerbinetta's companions reappear. She skilfully flirts with them and then disappears with her chosen harlequin.

The three nymphs notice the arrival of a stranger. It is the god Bacchus who escaped the power of Circe and reports about his victory over Circe. Ariadne awakens from her lifeless rigidity and, looking at Bacchus, believes that Hermes, the messenger of death, has finally arrived. Bacchus, in turn, fascinated by Ariadne's beauty, believes she is a sorceress of the Circe category. Both overcome their natural shyness and experience a fabulous change through the miracle of love. Ariadne awakens to new life, and the god Bacchus, who had also renounced love, returns to a new love:

“I needed yours for everything! Now I am different from what I was, through your pain I am rich, now I move my limbs in divine pleasure! And the eternal stars are more likely to die than you die out of my arms! "

Previously, Zerbinetta, pointing to Bacchus and Ariadne, had repeated her rondo with mocking triumph: "If the new god comes away, we are mute!"

layout

The basis of the work is initially the contrast between high and low art with its representatives of heroic opera and comedy. At the same time, the authors play with the connection of several time levels - the time of Molière, the present of the early 20th century and also with antiquity, which flows through the Ariadne myth. For this purpose, the authors resorted to quotations in text, music and scene, which they used in a variety of ways. A strikingly anachronistic example of this is the figure of the composer, who is modeled after the young "Amadé" ( Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ), but who already uses ideas and words from later times (e.g. from Büchner's Woyzeck ) ("Everyone is an abyss") ). Hofmannsthal explained his intentions in several letters to Strauss. Above all, the "allomatic" (the inner transformation) was important to him. On May 28, 1911 he described what is “essential” as the “soul tissue” and on July 23 as “the luminous, shimmering medium in which the spiritual appearance only really becomes appearance”.

In the course of the reworking of the originally planned short divertissement into a full-fledged opera, the second protagonist Bacchus lost more and more importance. The main characters now became the opposing soprano roles of Ariadne and Zerbinetta. Both are more complex than meets the eye. The superficial and frivolous seeming Zerbinetta shows a lot of understanding for the loss of Adriadne, and Ariadne, who at first seems like a “stylized figure”, also proves to be human. The originally intended contrast between the divine (Ariadne) and the human (Zerbinetta) was expanded to include further dualities. In this context, Walter Werbeck's Richard Strauss Handbook names the opposites of “loyalty - promiscuity”, “eternal - instantaneous”, “transcendence - illusion” and “negation - acceptance”.

The musical style of the “prelude” added in the second version differs significantly from that of the actual “opera”. A slight parlando style prevails in the foreplay . The orchestral introduction to the prelude already anticipates musical motifs "like a potpourri", which only acquire their meaning in the further course. The prelude is designed as a well-composed large form with rhythmic recitatives. In the opera, Strauss reproduced the closed forms of the older opera types of opera seria and opera buffa , which, however, he linked seamlessly with one another.

Strauss quotes various older works in Ariadne . Harlequin's “Lieben, Hassen” is based on Mozart's piano sonata in A major KV 331 . The “tones, tones, sweet voice” of the nymphs quotes Franz Schubert's Lullaby D 498. The Zerbinetta's coloratura aria does not contain any direct quotations, but is stylistically based on composers such as Vincenzo Bellini or Gaetano Donizetti .

orchestra

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

Work history

After the successful premiere of the Rosenkavalier in early 1911, Strauss and Hofmannsthal intended to thank the director Max Reinhardt for his commitment with “a small opera just for chamber music” (Hofmannsthal's letter of January 21, 1911 to his father). With Reinhardt he wanted to revive the comedies Molière at this time . In February he decided to combine the subject of the abandoned Ariadne with one of the comedies. The decision to counter the serious mythological theme with the light figures of the Commedia dell'arte was also quickly made. He informed Strauss in a letter on March 20 that the text of the opera in his head was “as good as finished”. At that time he viewed the project only as a small “work in between” with which he could learn how “to build a dramatic whole” without resorting to secco recitatives or prose. Initial plans envisaged Molière's La comtesse d'Escarhagnas (1671) as the setting for the opera. In May he decided instead for the comedy Le bourgeois gentilhomme (German: The citizen as nobleman ) from 1670, which was originally provided with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully . This was to be shortened to two acts, and the Ariadne opera was to be played instead of the original concluding Turkish scene. After just a few days, he sent Strauss a first scenario and asked him for information about the position of the desired music numbers. On May 22nd, Strauss replied with detailed information about the vocal disposition and the planned pieces of music, in which the character of the Zerbinetta was conspicuous through a large coloratura aria. However, he also indicated to Hofmannsthal that he was not particularly interested in the project. Hofmannsthal then described the planned structure to him in several letters, and in early 1911 the two met in Garmisch. Work on the libretto was completed on July 12, 1911. A year later, on July 21, 1912, Strauss notified Hofmannsthal that the score had been completed. Since the work was originally intended for Reinhardt's Berliner Schauspieltheater, which did not have a real orchestra pit, the music envisaged a chamber orchestra with little more than thirty musicians.

Because of the problematic performance of this combination of drama and opera, the premiere on October 25, 1912 did not take place in an opera house, but in the newly opened small house of the Stuttgart court theater . The title of this first version of the work (TrV 228) was completely Ariadne auf Naxos. Opera in one act. To be played after Molière's "citizen as nobleman". The production came from Max Reinhardt himself, the stage design from Ernst Stern . Strauss conducted the first two performances. The subsequent performances were directed by Max von Schillings . From the ensemble of the Stuttgart theater only the supporting roles and the majority of the instrumentalists were cast. The actors in the comedy were members of Reinhardt's Berliner Schauspielensemble. Otherwise one relied on well-known singer stars. It sang Jeritza (Ariadne), Hermann Jadlowker (Bacchus), Curt Busch (dance master), Margarethe Siems (Zerbinetta), Albin Swoboda (Harlequin), Georg Mender (Scaramuccio), Reinhold Fritz (Truffaldin), Franz Schwerdt (Brighella) Margarethe Junker-Burchardt (Najade), Sigrid Onégin (Dryad), Erna Ellmenreich (Echo). In the same year the work was played in fourteen other houses, including a. in Zurich and Prague. In 1913 there were seventeen performances, for example in Berlin, Basel and London. However, due to the difficult realization (two different ensembles were required), the work disappeared from the repertoire almost everywhere within three years. Only in Stuttgart did it last until 1924.

The overly long performances of the first version were crowned with little success overall. Hofmannsthal also found the combination of opera and drama “too schematic” and “forced”. So he wrote a new prelude to Strauss' opera by June 12, 1913, against the composer's initial opposition, which was supposed to replace the comedy and ironically deal with the genesis of the work itself. The Paris location was no longer mentioned. The role of Jourdain fell away. The new character of the composer was of particular importance. Strauss only set it to music after completing his ballet Josephs Legende and the opera Die Frau ohne Schatten . His "new arrangement" (TrV 228a) with the full title Ariadne auf Naxos. With one exception, opera in one act and a prelude no longer contains any motifs from the original incidental music for Molière's comedy. The opera itself was only slightly revised. Strauss simplified the part of Zerbinetta and intensified the apotheosis of the love between Ariadne and Bacchus at the end. This version was successfully premiered on October 4, 1916. The conductor was Franz Schalk . Directed by Wilhelm Wymetal . The set was based on designs by Hans Püringer, and the costumes came from Heinrich Lefler . The actors were Anton August Stoll (steward), Rudolf Hofbauer / Neuber (music teacher), Lotte Lehmann / Marie Gutheil-Schoder (composer), Maria Jeritza (prima donna / Ariadne), Béla von Környey (tenor / Bacchus), Anton Arnold (officer ), Adolph Nemeth (dance master), Gerhard Stehmann (wig maker), Viktor Madin (lackey), Selma Kurz (Zerbinetta), Hans Duhan (harlequin), Hermann Gallos (Scaramuccio), Julius Betetto (Truffaldin), Georg Maikl (Brighella), Charlotte Dahmen (Najade), Hermine Kittel (Dryade), Carola Jovanovich (Echo).

Strauss revised the incidental music for the citizen as a nobleman independently of the opera. Hofmannsthal added a third act to his version of the comedy, to which Strauss also contributed music. There were now seventeen numbers instead of the original ten, eight of them from the first version. Strauss took two pieces from Lully's original music. This version with the title The citizen as nobleman. Comedy with dances by Molière. Free stage adaptation in three acts (without the Ariadne opera) premiered on April 9, 1918 in Berlin under the direction of Einar Nilson in a production by Max Reinhardt, but only played 31 times.

Strauss then put nine instrumental movements from incidental music together to form a suite , which was played for the first time on January 31, 1920 in the Great Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus under the direction of the composer.

All four versions - opera, opera with prelude, ballet music and suite - Strauss gave opus number 60 without any further distinction and dedicated it to “Max Reinhardt in admiration and gratitude”.

Although the opera only established itself permanently in the second version without Molière's comedy, there were also some attempts to revive the first version:

Significant productions of the second version were:

The incidental music of the third version was rarely performed. Mention should be made here of a performance from 1924 under the direction of the composer in the Redoutensaal Vienna and a production of the Salzburg Festival in 1939 (director: Heinz Hilpert , conductor: Rudolf Moralt ).

Recordings

Ariadne auf Naxos has appeared many times on phonograms. Operadis lists 64 recordings in the period from 1913 to 2009. Therefore, only those recordings that have been particularly distinguished in specialist magazines, opera guides or the like or that are worth mentioning for other reasons are listed below.

Web links

Commons : Ariadne on Naxos  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Gernot Gruber and Rainer Franke: Ariadne auf Naxos. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 5: Works. Piccinni - Spontini. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1994, ISBN 3-492-02415-7 , pp. 103-107.
  2. ↑ a b David Murray:  Ariadne auf Naxos (ii). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
  3. ↑ a b c Hugo von Hofmannsthal : Information for the design of the decorative in Ariadne , accessed on May 9, 2018.
  4. ↑ a b c d Opera text based on: Hugo von Hofmannsthal: Ariadne auf Naxos (new arrangement 1916). In: Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Opera poems . Residenz, Salzburg 1994, pp. 179–227; also zeno.org
  5. ↑ Hugo von Hofmannsthal: Ariadne auf Naxos , projekt-gutenberg.org Before you die out of my arms! zeno.org
  6. ↑ projekt-gutenberg.org zeno.org
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Walter Werbeck (Ed.): Richard-Strauss-Handbuch. Metzler / Bärenreiter, Stuttgart / Weimar / Kassel 2014, ISBN 978-3-476-02344-5 , pp. 194-204.
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Laurenz Lütteken : Richard Strauss. The operas. A musical factory guide. CH Beck, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-406-65487-9 , pp. 66-74.
  9. ↑ Ariadne on Naxos. In: Rudolf Kloiber , Wulf Konold , Robert Maschka: Handbuch der Oper. 9th, expanded, revised edition 2002. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag / Bärenreiter, ISBN 3-423-32526-7 , p. 703.
  10. ↑ October 25, 1912: "Ariadne auf Naxos". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..
  11. ↑ October 4, 1916: "Ariadne auf Naxos". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..
  12. ^ April 9, 1918: "The citizen as nobleman". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..
  13. ↑ January 31, 1920: "The citizen as nobleman". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..
  14. ↑ a b Detlef Meyer to Heringsdorf: The Charlottenburg Opera House from 1912 to 1961. German Opera Berlin, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-926412-07-0 .
  15. ↑ Signals for the musical world . Issue 36/37, 1937, p. 489.
  16. ↑ Le Figaro of September 12, 1937, p. 4.
  17. ^ Discography on Ariadne auf Naxos at Operadis.
  18. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Richard Strauss. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005.
  19. ↑ a b c d e Hugo Shirley: Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos - which recording should you buy? In: Gramophone , February 2014, accessed May 9, 2018.
  20. ↑ a b c d Ariadne on Naxos. In: Harenberg opera guide. 4th edition. Meyers Lexikonverlag, 2003, ISBN 3-411-76107-5 , pp. 876-879.
  21. ↑ a b c d e Ariadne on Naxos. In: Attila Csampai , Dietmar Holland : Opera guide. E-book. Rombach, Freiburg im Breisgau 2015, ISBN 978-3-7930-6025-3 .
  22. ^ Prize of the German Record Critics: Best List 2008 , accessed on May 9, 2018.