Lise auf Naxos: Davidsen makes a triumphant return to Ariadne

Lise Davidsen (Ariadne) and Michael Spyres (Bacchus)

Lise Davidsen (Ariadne)

Kate Lindsey (Composer) and Sara Blanch (Zerbinetta)

Michael Spyres (Bacchus)

By Mark Pullinger, 29 January 2025

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“Lise Davidsen and Richard Strauss are a match made in heaven”

Reviewed at Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna on 28 January 2025

Strauss R., Ariadne auf Naxos

Vienna State Opera

Cornelius Meister, Conductor

Sven-Eric Bechtolf, Director

Rolf Glittenberg, Set Designer

Marianne Glittenberg, Costume Designer

Jürgen Hoffmann, Lighting Designer

Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera

Concert Association Vienna State Opera Chorus

Lise Davidsen, The Primadonna (Ariadne)

Sara Blanch, Zerbinetta

Kate Lindsey, Composer

Michael Spyres, The Tenor (Bacchus)

Bernhard Schir, The Major-Domo

Adrian Eröd, Music Master

Thomas Ebenstein, Dancing Master

Jusung Gabriel Park, Harlequin

Andrea Giovannini, Scaramuccio

Daniel Jenz, Brighella

Simonas Strazdas, Truffaldino

Ileana Tonca, Echo

Florina Ilie, Naiad

Daria Sushkova, Dryad

Oleg Zalytskiy, Officer

Wolfram Igor Derntl, Wigmaker

Marcus Pelz, Lackey

At half mast: Simon Boccanegra revived in Vienna

Orsolya Gyárfás, 19th April

Marco Armiliato’s conducting thrills and Federica Lombardi's radiant Amelia stands out in the Wiener Staatsoper’s latest revival of Simon Boccanegra.

***11

Anna Netrebko shines in Vienna’s timeless Tosca

Laura Servidei, 18th April

In a world where opera productions often stray into the abstract, the Wiener Staatsoper’s Tosca offers a refreshing return to tradition – and Anna Netrebko delivers a splendid performance.

****1

Tragedy in the mirror: Minghella’s Madama Butterfly in Vienna

Laura Servidei, 14th March

Ermonela Jaho returns to one of her signature roles as Cio-Cio-San, delivering a searing and deeply nuanced portrayal.

****1

Too much and too little: Jan Lauwers’ restless Clemenza in Vienna

Chanda VanderHart, 12th March

The creative team behind the new Staatsoper Clemenza is unwilling to trust that Mozart’s opera is interesting enough to stand on its own.

***11

An Idomeneo shattered to pieces at the Wiener Staatsoper

Orsolya Gyárfás, 23rd January

A committed cast struggles to lend a spark of life to Kasper Holten's static staging of Mozart's first mature opera.

**111

A holiday Bohème: Puccini, Zeffirelli and tradition in Vienna

Laura Servidei, 21st December

Giacomo Sagripanti conducts a luxuriant reading with a cast anchored by Juan Diego Flórez and Nicole Car, in Zeffirelli’s familiar, generous, unabashedly emotional production.

***11

More reviews...

Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Lise auf Naxos: Davidsen makes a triumphant return to Vienna’s Ariadne