Sun 1/13
Thu 1/17
Sat 1/19
Sunday afternoon in Severance Hall, the Cleveland Orchestra’s much-anticipated interpretation of Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos offered enchantment mixed with laughs. If you love Strauss, opera and comedy (or think you might) this opera — one whose story seems not to take itself too seriously — is for you.
Conductor Franz Welser-Möst and the 35-member chamber orchestra shone in the manner they have taught us to expect. The twist in this production, insightfully directed by Frederic Wake-Walker, placed the orchestra onstage, in rehearsal, for “The Prelude” and then below stage, in the pit for “The Performance.”
Of course, it’s all “The Opera,” but the comic premise is that a rich man (never seen) has commissioned both a serious opera and a comedy show (commedia dell’arte) to entertain his guests after dinner. The hitch is that time is short (they MUST finish before the scheduled fireworks begin) and so both productions have to run at the same time.
All is chaos when The Prelude opens. We see Welser-Möst chatting with instrumentalists and hear the orchestra (still in street clothes) warming up. Characters wander on and off stage. When the opera composer (the standout mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey) hears both productions must run at the same time, she is outraged! Lindsey carries it off so well, we feel for the composer’s dismay and applaud a rather dramatic exit.
Tamara Wilson, in full diva mode, is appalled that she must share the stage with nimble acrobat and flirt Zerbinetta (delightful soprano Daniela Fally, whose character warmed up onstage by doing splits and singing at the same time!). The composer finally incorporates Zerbinetta into the opera and the resulting dialogue in The Performance between depressed, lying-on-the-couch Ariadne (who can’t get over being left by Theseus) and find-a-new-man Zerbinetta results in a splendid vocal exchange between the two.
[Aside: Where was Zerbinetta when Dido, Aida, Madame Butterfly and countless others needed her?]
But this opera ends happily with sweetly lyric passages about everlasting love as Ariadne (gorgeously sung by soprano Wilson) and her new man, god of wine and party-boy Bacchus (romantic tenor Andreas Schager) walk away together.
Other performers in the lively opera included Wolfgang Brendel as the hard-pressed Major-Domo; baritone Ludwig Mittelhammer as Harlequin, Zerbinetta’s new love; baritone Hanno Müller-Brachmann as Music Master; tenor Jonas Hacker as dance master); soprano Julie Mathevet (Naiad); mezzo-soprano Daryl Freedman(Dryad); soprano Ying Fang (Echo); tenor James Kryshak (Scaramuccio); bass Anthony Schneider (Truffaldino) and tenor Miles Mykkanen(Brighella).
In this new (created for Cleveland production), the lighting, projection, and set design by Alexander V. Nichols referenced decorative details seen in Severance Hall itself. Collage, animation, and video content (which included silent film clips) by Dominic Robertson and Lottie Bowater with costume design by Jason Southgate, and hair and makeup design by Mallory Pace added to the spirit of the opera. Projected supertitles made it possible to follow along for those not fluent in German.
If you’re used to Wagner, this opera is short: just over two and one-half hours, including a single intermission. There are two more performances: Thu 1/17 @ 7:30pm and Sat 1/19 @ 8 pm.
BOTTOM LINE: A beautifully done, original, refreshing treat for lovers of music, slapstick, and romance.
[Written by Laura Kennelly]
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106