Opera thrives on partnership. Nederlandse Reisopera’s new production of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, is the perfect vehicle for such a vision, not only bringing together different art forms, but all those important people both on and off the stage who have worked together to create the perfect alchemy on the night. Librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal addressed this very topic when he sought to redress the balance between music and the spoken word. Strauss likewise created a partnership of musical styles, mingling Baroque rhythms with 19th-century arias and 20th-century tonality; and the serious world of Greek mythology with that of comic burlesque. Partnerships at every turn.
Upon entering the very welcoming Stadsschouwburg, Utrecht auditorium, I was immediately struck by the colourful set – the home of the wealthiest man in Vienna’s home. A very warm green, akin to Pond Green (a colour chosen by Sir Winston Churchill for seats around his garden pond) made by British historic paint company, Farrow and Ball, envelops the whole stage, a total contrast to the almost entirely monochrome palette of recent Reisopera productions. With a classy backdrop for Zerbinetta’s fuchsia pink burlesque outfit – a colour long-championed by Scandinavian home furnishing company, Marimekko – colour therefore becomes a visual metaphor for Sofia Jupither, whose staging sees the meeting of two artistic cultures (Scandinavian and British respectively) as the Swedish director makes her Dutch debut with the company now under Artistic Directorship of Sam Brown.
Ariadne auf Naxos is essentially an opera about opera. The Prologue finds the audience granted behind the scenes access to an art form which, to some, can seem inaccessible. The Opera itself sees two rival musical companies – a burlesque group and a serious opera company – resolve their differences when required to give their performances simultaneously. The chamber-like nature and lyricism are the complete antithesis of Strauss’ earlier works and the inclusion of music hall elements reflects the changing circumstances of the time, including a world at war.
Among the mêlée of last minute changes to the evening’s performance, comedy abounds: grecian peplos-like dresses, fuchsia pink socks for the Dance Master (Manuel Günther) and sparkly pink bolero jackets for Zerbinetta’s boys are a feast for the eyes. The colourful orchestration likewise plays its part. The addition of a harmonium and piano accompaniments adds to the comedy.
Jupither’s focus on the nature of human relationships is the production’s greatest strength. The one forged between Dorottya Láng's Composer and Juliana Zara's Zerbinetta seems to most successfully fulfil a desire to look inside the character and bring out the truth. Zerbinetta’s “A moment means nothing, a glance means all… I am so lonely” in the Prologue was the emotional highlight of the evening, her vulnerability and the unlikely attraction between the two feeling dangerously real. Accompanied by Strauss’ lush orchestral harmonies, it spoke to the hall before Zerbinetta’s boys thrust themselves back onto the stage, strutting their stuff and flexing their masculinity for comic effect. Zara's seductive trills and tireless vocal acrobatics were dazzling. It was not Bacchus, the “newer God” to whom we ultimately surrender, but Zerbinetta herself when she is united with the Composer in the Opera's closing moments.
Unpicking relationships forged with Annemarie Kremer's Primadonna proved more complicated. Her interactions with the Music Master (Martijn Sanders) created credible intimacy. Likewise, as Ariadne her fulsome and earnest abandonment felt real as she wallowed indulgently atop “the dreadful rock”, her heaving heart struggling to find the will to live. This was all the more vivid when juxtaposed against Harlequin (Georgiy Derbas-Richer) and Zerbinetta’s flirtatious banter.
In contrast, her relationship with Daniel Frank's Bacchus failed to convince. Jac van Steen’s carefully crafted climax in the pit masterfully set the scene for his arrival, but Frank could not maintain that intensity, perhaps also not helped by a certain lack of direction. I struggled to believe that he felt truly connected to Ariadne and, despite her best efforts, his proclamation of “being changed through your power” seemed empty. His body did not appear to be “bathed in immortal desire”.
On a more positive note, the real surprise of the evening was Phion Orkest who have struggled of late to find their stride. However, in the skilful hands of van Steen, not only did the orchestra listen to each other, but they breathed as one. In a score littered with splashes of colour, intricacies and numerous exposed passages – essentially chamber music on a grand scale – they rose to the challenge and were suitably rewarded with the loudest cheers of the evening.
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