Production:
Director – Martin Duncan
Designer – Francis O'Connor

Cast:
Ariadne – Orla Boylan
Bacchus – John Horton Murray
Composer – Wendy Dawn Thompson
Zerbinetta – Elizabeth Cragg
Music Master – Russell Smythe
Dancing Master – Daniel Norman
Harlequin – Quirijn de Lang
Brighella – Nicholas Sharratt
Scaramuccio – Pascal Charbonneau
Truffaldino – Andrew Slater
Echo- Tamsin Coombs
Dryad – Susan Atherton
Naiad – Eliana Pretorian
Major-Domo – Rainer Wöss
Lackey – Martin Lamb
Wig Maker – Robert Gildon
The Officer – Alexander Ward

Elizabeth Cragg (Zerbinetta) and Quirijn de Lang (Harlequin)
 

When Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal revived Molière’s 1670 satire Le bourgeois gentilhomme, it was their intention to combine opera seria with commedia dell’arte entertainment. They added incidental music to the play and altered the plot to conclude with a one act opera based on the myth of Ariadne and Bacchus. The first performance of Ariadne auf Naxos in 1912 was not well received by the opera going public who did not know what to make of Molière. Strauss responded by composing an operatic prologue based upon a spoken scene that had linked the play to the opera, and the revised production premiered successfully in Vienna in 1916.

Garsington’s 2007 production effectively updates Hofmannsthal’s eighteenth century Viennese palace to an elegant 1930’s setting, and designer Francis O’Connor cleverly draws on the manor’s stately surrounds as a backdrop to the Prologue. Ariadne’s stark island solitude is marked by sombre shades that contrast sharply with the brash commedia troupe. Director Martin Duncan interweaves the seria and buffa plots with great skill, although the willing participation of Ariadne in the antics of the comic performers undermines her serious status and weakens the contrast between the two genres. The final scene is a dramatic spectacle, as Bacchus arrives poised at the prow of his ship, ready to be united with Ariadne.

The commedia dell’arte troupe

The challenging main roles are well cast, and the singing was consistently good. Orla Boylan’s voice bloomed and soared effortlessly through Strauss’ long phrases, and her Ariadne combined full-bodied resilience with moments of great warmth and sensitivity. As Bacchus, John Horton Murray maintained impressive stamina and an even, muscular tone in a credible interpretation of this notoriously demanding helden tenor role. Wendy Dawn Thompson performed the Composer with conviction and the beauty of her middle and lower register was evident, although she sounded less at ease in the upper part of her voice. An exquisite Zerbinetta, Elizabeth Cragg seduced the audience with her seamless coloratura and delicate phrasing.

The nymphs’ voices blended well in their ensemble singing, and the wit of the harlequinade was successfully achieved through clear articulation and a full spectrum of vocal colour. Amongst the caricatures in the Prologue, Russell Smythe performed a particularly engaging rendition of the Music Master. Elgar Howarth supported the singers with an excellent orchestral ensemble. They played with flair and exuberance, embracing every nuance of Strauss’ complex score.

Despite the less than ideal weather conditions this was an excellent evening of opera.

Lyndall Dawson

Lyndall Dawson is a professional repetiteur and voice coach based in Oxford.

Pictures © Johan Persson 2007