Ariadne auf Naxos in Vienna

By Simon Rees, 24 June 2014

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Reviewed at Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna on 11 June 2014

Strauss R., Ariadne auf Naxos

Vienna State Opera

Franz Welser-Möst, Conductor

Sven-Eric Bechtolf, Director

Rolf Glittenberg, Set Designer

Emily Magee, The Primadonna (Ariadne)

Daniela Fally, Zerbinetta

Kate Lindsey, Composer

Klaus Florian Vogt, The Tenor (Bacchus)

Olga Bezsmertna, Echo

Hila Fahima, Naiad

Pavel Kolgatin, Brighella

Norbert Ernst, Dancing Master

Clemens Unterreiner, Harlequin

Jochen Schmeckenbecher, Music Master

Jongmin Park, Truffaldino

Peter Matić, The Major-Domo

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

Stikhina, Tézier and Tetelman outstanding in classic Vienna Tosca

Mark Pullinger, 20th September

It may be on its 663rd outing, but Margarethe Wallmann's Tosca is a classic for a reason, as proved in this outstanding performance at the Wiener Staatsoper.

*****

Lise auf Naxos: Davidsen makes a triumphant return to Ariadne

Mark Pullinger, 28th January

Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen returns to Sven-Eric Bechtolf's lean but polished production with an outstanding cast, outstandingly conducted.

****1

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Simon Rees

Simon Rees writes programme articles and surtitles for most British opera companies, and reviews for Opera, Opera Now, Musical Opinion, Early Music Today and a wide range of other publications. A novelist, poet and librettist, from 1989 to 2012 he was dramaturg at Welsh National Opera. He lives in Cardiff.

Comedy and tragedy sharing the bill: Ariadne auf Naxos in Vienna