Strauss - Ariadne auf Naxos (Davidsen, Jovanovich, MET) (320kbps .mp3)

From the New York Met, soprano Lisa Davidsen stars in Richard Strauss's most unusual opera, as the gods of ancient Greek myths meet the clowns of the Italian commedia dell'arte. The household of Vienna's richest man is in turmoil: he's ordered three different after-dinner entertainments, a serious opera, a comedy and a firework display, but there simply isn't enough time to fit them all in. The solution, to the horror of the young Composer: telescope the opera and the comedy into one piece. So Ariadne, abandoned by her lover Theseus on the isle of Naxos, learns from the commedia dell'arte troupe and their flighty leading lady Zerbinetta that her best bet is to accept the next bloke who turns up - who just happens to be the god Bacchus.


Presented by Debra Lew Harder with commentator Ira Siff.

Ariadne / Prima Donna..... Lise Davidsen (soprano)
Bacchus ..... Brandon Jovanovich (tenor)
Zerbinetta ..... Brenda Rae (soprano)
Harlequin ..... Sean Michael Plumb (baritone)
Composer ..... Isabel Leonard (mezzo-soprano)
Music Master ..... Johannes Martin Kränzle (baritone)
Major-Domo ..... Sir Thomas Allen (baritone)
Nymphs ..... Deanna Breiwick, Maureen McKay (sopranos), Tamara Mumford (mezzo-soprano)
Brighella ..... Miles Mykkanen (tenor)
Scaramuccio ..... Alok Kumar (tenor)
Truffaldino ..... Ryan Speedo Green (bass-baritone)
Dancing Master ..... Brenton Ryan (tenor)
A lackey ..... Patrick Carfizzi (bass-baritone)
Officer ..... Thomas J. Capobianco (tenor)
Wigmaker ..... Philip Cokorinos (bass-baritone)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor Marek Janowski

Read the full synopsis at the Met Opera website: https://bit.ly/3i3xqwj

Image: © Marty Sohl / Met Opera

Broadcast: 12 March 2022 (BBC Radio 3)