Strauss - Ariadne auf Naxos
At popular request, this five-star Reisopera production from 2016 returns to the stage! With the internationally renowned Dutch soprano Annemarie Kremer in one of the lead roles. In 2016, the NRC, Volkskrant and Trouw newspapers all awarded this production four sparkling stars. And the Theaterkrant wrote, “Five stars and a bow”, while Place de l’Opera referred to a “phenomenal Ariadne at the Reisopera”.
Programme
- Richard Strauss Ariadne auf Naxos
In this opera, the audience is witness to a clash between opera makers and comedians, between ‘elitist’ classical musicians and popular entertainers. Forced by circumstances to put on a show together, it turns out to be a resounding success. The combination of so-called ‘high art’ and ‘low art’ proves irresistible, with the unifying power of music casting a captivating spell.
Ariadne auf Naxos is a tragicomedy that contains ‘a show within a show’. The story is set in the house of the fabulously wealthy art collector Herr Reichmann, where feverish preparations are underway for an evening party. On the programme are a serious opera based on the myth of Ariadne, a comedy in a burlesque setting, and a fireworks display to end the evening.
But when a lack of time forces the opera and comedy to be squeezed together – to not endanger the fireworks show – a terrific uproar ensues. The clash between high art and low art sends sparks flying, and the saying never proved more apt: ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune’…