Ariadne auf Naxos

Ariadne auf Naxos (Ariadne on Naxos), Op. 60, is a 1912 opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal.^[1] The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one of the work's principal themes: the competition between high and low art for the public's attention.

For the opera by Georg Benda, see Ariadne auf Naxos (Benda).

Ariadne auf Naxos

Hugo von Hofmannsthal

German

25 October 1912

Staatsoper Stuttgart

: 2 flutes (alternating on piccolos), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (clarinet 2 doubles bass clarinet in A), 2 bassoons

Woodwind

: 2 horns, trumpet, trombone

Brass

: timpani, glockenspiel, tambourine, triangle, snare drum, cymbals, bass drum

Percussion

: harmonium, celesta, piano

Keyboards

: 6 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, 2 double basses, 2 harps

Strings

The instrumentation of the work is unusual, as its complement of 'double woodwind' is accompanied by significantly reduced brass and string forces on the one hand, and by a generous percussion section on the other.

Orchestral suite[edit]

Music was extracted from both versions of the opera by D. Wilson Ochoa in 2011 for a purely orchestral arrangement: Ariadne auf Naxos Symphony-Suite,^[19] published by Boosey & Hawkes and Schott Music. The 7 continuous sections combine into a 38-minute continuous suite that functions like a symphony: the Prologue introduces all the major musical themes, while each subsequent excerpt serves to "develop" each of those themes. Richard Strauss' original instrumentation was retained, except for having the 2nd Oboe now doubling on English horn, to be used in covering some vocal lines. This suite was premiered by Giancarlo Guerrero and the Nashville Symphony in October 2011, and recorded by JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016.^[20]

Jander, Owen; ; Forbes, Elizabeth (1992). "Mezzo-soprano". In Stanley Sadie (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Vol. 3. London: Macmillan. pp. 372–374. ISBN 978-1-56159-228-9.

Steane, J. B.

(2001). "Ariadne auf Naxos". In Holden, Amanda (ed.). The New Penguin Opera Guide. London: Penguin Books. pp. 893–895. ISBN 978-0-14-029312-8.

Kennedy, Michael

; Harewood, The Earl of (1958). The New Kobbé's Complete Opera Book. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 1018–1024. OCLC 560129867, 10720244, 637971238.

Kobbé, Gustav

Loewenberg, Alfred (1978). Annals of Opera 1597–1940 (third, revised ed.). Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman and Littlefield. 978-0-87471-851-5.

ISBN

Murray, David (1992). "Ariadne auf Naxos". In (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Vol. 1. London: Macmillan. pp. 178–182. ISBN 978-1-56159-228-9.

Stanley Sadie

Rosenthal, Harold (1958). Two Centuries of Opera at Covent Garden. London: Putnam. 593682, 503687870

OCLC

Strauss, Richard (1916). Ariadne auf Naxos (piano-vocal score; piano reduction by Otto Singer). Berlin: Adolph Fürstner. file #44688.

IMSLP

; West, Ewan (1992). The Oxford Dictionary of Opera. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-869164-8.

Warrack, John

Notes

Sources

Erwin, Charlotte (July 1981). "Richard Strauss's Presketch Planning for Ariadne auf Naxos". . 67 (3): 348–365. doi:10.1093/mq/lxvii.3.348.

The Musical Quarterly

Gilliam, Bryan (March 2003). "Ariadne, Daphne and the Problem of Verwandlung". Cambridge Opera Journal. 15 (1): 67–81. :10.1017/s0954586703000673. S2CID 191497158.

doi

Hartmann, Rudolf (1981). Richard Strauss: The Staging of His Operas and Ballets. New York: Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-520251-9.

ISBN

Kenyon, Nicholas & Walsh, Stephen (1993). (ed.). The Viking Opera Guide. London: Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-81292-9.

Holden, Amanda

: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

Ariadne auf Naxos (includes vocal scores of 1912 and 1916 versions)

(in German)

Roles, synopsis, libretto

Archived 2007-12-16 at the Wayback Machine

Synopsis: Metropolitan Opera

on Flickr. Ernst Stern. Ariadne auf Naxos, Oper in einem Aufzuge von Hugo von Hofmannsthal; Musik von Richard Strauss, zu spielen auf dem Bürger als Edelmann des Molière; Skizzen für die Kostüme und Dekorationen. (Prints of costumes and sets for the original 1912 production).

Ariadne auf Naxos