Search - :: Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos, etc / Nagano, Price, Jo, et al

There are several fine recordings of Strauss's curious Ariadne auf Naxos, which tangles the conventions of tragedy and comedy, and opera and spoken drama, in a unique, hilarious mix. But there is no other Ariadne like this one, which shows the deceptively simple first steps Strauss and his collaborator Hugo von Hofmannsthal took in 1911-12 toward the very different final version. A superb work in its own right, this is an adaptation of Moliere's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme with incidental music, followed by Ariadne, a brief, tragic opera interrupted by comic intrusions. The role of Zerbinetta (superbly sung by Sumi Jo in this outstanding first recording) is bigger and more spectacular than in the more familiar final 1916 Ariadne, and the contrast between the two versions will fascinate those who love the final version. --Joe McLellan