Leeds Grand Theatre – until Wednesday 1st March 2023
Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood
4****
Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, a co-production with Gothenburg Opera and first premiered in 2018, is part of Opera North 2023 Winter Season repertoire. This one act opera with prologue is based on Strauss’ composition and Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s libretto. This opera is unique with the fusion of comedy and opera with the backstage and film crew as the main premise.
It begins with the Prologue (Part One) where plans of the production of Ariadne auf Naxos are unveiled and is to be performed first before the comedy and a firework display. The plans are not manifested and harmonised, especially with an array of disagreements, clashes of personalities, change of mind from the sponsors which results in the unclarified narrative and composition changes to the opera which is to be intertwined with comedy.
Going into the actual production of the opera (Part Two), the setting now is that Ariadne (Elizabeth Llewellyn) is abandoned and is placed on the rocky island of Naxos. Her reminiscence of life and her new fatefulness is being reflected and she yearns for the Hermes, who is a messenger of death, to arrive. The comedy ensemble intervenes with cheer, song and views of life that are led and shared in parallel by Zerbinetta (Jennifer France) who is about to make a love choice between Harlequin (Dominic Sedgwick) or the Composer (Hanna Hip). The narrative of Ariadne changes when an arrival of a ship is being announced bearing Bacchus (Ric Furman), a young god. Ariadne assumes at the time this was the arrival of Hermes however she mistakes Bacchus for him. It is the same for Bacchus who mistakes Ariadne for Circe, a sorceress, whom he escaped from. Despite mistaken identities and misunderstandings, they both fall in love and after Ariadne taking Zerbinetta’s advice the production comes to an end with an array of fireworks.
Ariadne auf Naxos offer an eclectic variety of comedy and Greek mythology which is merged into a musical which sets well with Strauss’ gloriously temperamental music. Excellently staged by Rodula Gaitanou and Antony Hermus (musical) directions and with Victoria Newlyn’s choreography, the operatic concept is uniquely realistic and documents the backstage journey to the staging of the opera, which scopes further discovery and exploration.
This is a production well done with the cast’s excellent portrayals of the characters especially Hip’s Composer, Llewellyn’s Ariadne and France’s Zerbinetta. George Souglides’ and Simon Corder’s staging and lighting are versatile and works well for both the prologue and the opera. Ariadne auf Naxos is certainly a creation of an opera in an opera and is an opportunity to see well done production in this perspective.