Review: ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Glyndebourne Festival

Richard Strauss's opera within an opera, Ariadne aux Naxos, is a curious beast: a hybrid of spoken word and singing, a mix of musical influences and themes which ask whether high art can ever mix with popular entertainment. Two rival musical companies – a burlesque group and a serious opera company – must give their performances simultaneously at the request of the richest man in Vienna.

Laurent Pelly’s new production leans into the stark contrast in tone of the friviolity of the first act, and then the heartfelt longing contained in the second. There is a lightness of touch in his direction of an excellent cast, in a show which strips back the opera to its essential structure. The music and the cast are the focus here, with no distractions or twists on the tale.

Conductor Robin Ticciati responds to this focus with a sublime lightness in his handling of a slimmed-down, but hugely impressive, London Philharmonic Orchestra. The music contains pace, but also lingers on each feeling perfectly and there is not a note out of place in this thrilling rendition of Strauss's complex and intricate score.

Rachel Willis-Sørensen is wonderful as Ariadne; enjoying playing up to the diva-like role in the first half and then totally throwing herself into the emotional tragedy of the opera section. Her lower notes are particularly gorgeous and convey real despair and longing. David Butt Philip provides beautifully realised emotion as Bacchus and the chemistry between the pair convinces well.

German soprano Alina Wunderlin brought the house down in 2024 as Queen of the Night and returns in top form as Zerbinetta. Her acting is full of energy, wit, and excellent comedic timing, but it is her outstanding colatura that really stops the show. Strauss’s whole score is incredibly demanding, but Wunderlin attacks Zerbinetta’s massive aria, "Grossmächtige Prinzessin", seemingly without effort. Her performance is worth the ticket price alone.

The rest of the talented cast tackle the music with wit and vigour. Samantha Hankey is both likable and sympathetic as the young Composer, torn and anxious that his masterpiece will be taken over by a common cabaret act. There's also good work from Mikhail Timoshenko, Caspar Singh, Liam James Karai, and Liam Bonthrone as the comedians, kitted out in Perry's fun cabaret-style costumes.

Massimo Troncanetti’s simplistic set is not the most interesting we have seen this season at Glyndebourne. A huge Rococo doorway with panelling inexplicably inches its way across the stage during the first act, backed by a vast corrogated and curved backdrop. Act two adds a giant rock upon which the performers move around for the opera proper. Marco Giusti’s lighting adds some much-needed colour, most effective in the reveal of a blazingly bright sunrise during Ariadne and Bacchus's love duet. 

Pelly's new production does what many directors forget to do in placing the singers at the centre of the performance. So not always a visual feast for the eyes, but certainly a mouthwatering banquet for the ears.

Ariadne auf Naxos is at Glyndebourne until 29 August

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Need more UK / West End Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...