Ariadne auf Naxos

This 2013 Glyndebourne production represents another unconvincing attempt to rethink Richard Strauss's peculiar take on the Greek myth about the titular daughter of King Minos who was left to die by Theseus after helping him defeat the Minotaur. In the now-standard 1916 iteration, a prologue features the opera's supposed composer railing against a demand by the lord of the house that his serious work be performed simultaneously with the antics of a commedia dell'arte troupe. The resultant combination of tragedy and farce serves as a commentary on the balance between the sublime and the ridiculous in art. Although the prologue is customarily set in a Viennese mansion, Katharina Thoma's staging moves the action to a WWII-era English country estate that is bombed and then turned into a hospital ward where shell-shocked Ariadne debates her longing for death with Zerbinetta, the flirtatious leader of the comic players. While the overall concept is arguably well-suited to Glyndebourne—itself a country estate—the approach doesn't really work dramatically. Musically, however, the production is fine, with the London Philharmonic—reduced to chamber proportions—responding enthusiastically to conductor Vladimir Jurowski, and eloquent singing from Soile Isokoski (Ariadne), Thomas Allen (the Music Master), Laura Claycomb (Zerbinetta), and Kate Lindsey (the Composer). Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and LPCM stereo, extras include a “making-of” featurette, interviews with Allen and Jurowski, and a cast gallery. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)