Bronx Opera Will Perform ARIADNE AUF NAXOS at Lehman College
Richard Strauss' opera will be sung mostly in English at the Lovinger Theater
THE BRONX OPERA has announced its May production of Richard Strauss' beloved Ariadne auf Naxos, performed mostly in English, May 7, 9 & 10 at the Lovinger Theater at Lehman College in The Bronx.
Riding the crest of Strauss' success of his recent opera, Der Rosenkavalier, he and his frequent collaborator, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, created Ariadne auf Naxos. The opera's original version received its premiere October 25, 1912 in Stuttgart, directed by Max Reinhardt, with a revised version premiering October 4, 1916 in Vienna. Bronx Opera is presenting the revised version, which contains a "prologue" and an "opera". Ariadne uniquely combines elements of commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria, pointing up one of the work's principal themes: the competition between high and low art. Bronx Opera will underline these differences by performing in a combination of the original German and its own English translation.
The prologue centers on the teenage Composer, who has composed a new serious opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, to be performed at the home of the richest man in the world. A commedia troupe, led by a Dance Master and the enigmatic Zerbinetta, is also booked to perform. This rich man decrees that the serious opera and the comic piece should be performed simultaneously. The comedians react calmly; the Composer and the Opera Singers panic. The Dance Master Zerbinetta and the Composer's mentor convince the teenager to allow things to progress, in spite of his misery.
The second half of the show, the Opera, has a plot which revolves around the princess Ariadne, who has been deserted by her lover, the Athenian hero Theseus, on the island of Naxos. In her grief, Ariadne has retreated to a cave to await her death from a broken heart. While she sleeps, she is watched by the three nymphs Naiad, Dryad, and Echo, who bear witness to Ariadne's endless (and occasionally annoying) lamentation. Zerbinetta advises Ariadne that the best way to cure a broken heart is to find another love. She and the comedians inject comedy into the serious story, but Ariadne (and the Prima Donna playing her) refuses to be happy. After the comedians finish their show, the nymphs appear to herald the arrival of the young god Bacchus. Ariadne is astonished to find herself reawakening to life and love. As Ariadne and Bacchus celebrate their love, Zerbinetta has the last word, claiming that she was right all along. The Composer thanks the singers (and the orchestra) for their brilliance.
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