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The concept for Ariadne auf Naxos was an original invention of Strauss and Hofmannsthal in which they sought to combine opera seria (heroic opera) with commedia dell’arte (improvised Italian comedy).
The Opera section itself is based on the Greek myth of Ariadne, daughter King Minos of Crete. She falls in love with Theseus, the son of the king of Athens who has been sacrificed to the Minotaur, a half human/half bull creature who lives in a labyrinth. Ariadne gives Theseus a magical yarn to help guide him back to the light after he has killed the Minotaur. The lovers are reunited and sail to the island of Naxos where Theseus abruptly abandons his bride. This is the point in the myth where Hofmannsthal’s action in Ariadne auf Naxos begins.
Original version: Hoftheater (Kleines Haus) Stuttgart, Oct. 25, 1912. Revised version: Hofoper Vienna, Oct. 4, 1916.
After Ariadne (version one) played in Dresden for first time on Nov. 14, 1912, the Dresdner Nachrichten regretted that in comparison with other premieres of Strauss operas in that city (Salome, Elekra, Der Rosenkavalier), this one was “not a wholehearted success.”
After the first Dresden performance of the revised version on Jan. 24, 1917, the press reaction was again largely negative. But the tables were completely turned when Fritz Busch took over as conductor of the production in 1926 and the same newspaper was able to report that “the cast, Busch and Strauss . . . were repeatedly called back to the stage.”
A scene from the Canadian Opera Company production of Ariadne auf Naxos. Photo Credit: © 2011 Michael Cooper