It’s good to have Elijah Moshinsky’s 1993 production of Richard Strauss’ ironically lovely Ariadne on DVD. Michael Yeargan sets the Prologue backstage with scaffolding, ladders, and props galore and Moshinsky perfectly catches the commotion that takes place just pre-performance–characters get in each other’s way, ducking this way and that. For the opera itself, the world is reversed and we see just what “the richest man in Vienna” sees: colorful 12-foot high characters–Najade, Dryade, and Echo–moving smoothly about the stage against a blue backdrop of the star-lit heavens, with mountains in front of them.
The characters are part of the opera, but we are otherwise tricked: the heavens eventually part so that the commedia dell’arte troupe can enter and leave. Moshinsky makes it clear that the troupe is not mocking the opera–they’re merely doing their jobs, and as comedians and professionals are attempting to fit in with what is going on. Strauss wants it both ways: he’s out to mock opera seria while composing perfect opera seria music; but he’s also interested in how it can be brought forward and used to a different end. Real/high art, fake/low art–they’re both the same and both valid. Moshinsky, Yeargan, and lighting whiz Gil Wechsler fulfill his wishes.
The remarkable cast is led, in the Prologue, by mezzo Suzanne Mentzer as the Composer, stressed to the hilt over her new opera about to be performed, racing to and fro hoping everything will work out well. I prefer a darker, heavier tone in the role, but Mentzer’s intensity implies an inner strength. The Composer’s singlemindedness melts with Zerbinetta’s affectionate lecture to him, and the result is very warming. Natalie Dessay’s Zerbinetta dominates throughout, her comic timing and absolute involvement outdone only by her absolute ease with the role’s high-flying, wild coloratura. No fool or simpleton this Zerbinetta; her thoughts and feelings are as complex as the Composer’s–or Ariadne’s. An utterly charming portrayal.
Charm is just what Deborah Voigt lacks as the Prima Donna/Ariadne. The voice pours forth luminescently and with grace, but outside of her snits in the Prologue I spotted no real person behind the Ariadne. She poses in a silent-screen manner (Moshinsky’s idea, I’m sure) but looks slightly too comfortable in those poses. The voice might shine, but something about the performance does not. (One recalls the slightly self-mocking Jessye Norman in the part, and Voigt seems tedious.)
Richard Margison never lets us know how difficult the role of Bacchus actually is; he sings as if it comes naturally to begin phrases on high Gs (let alone B-flats!)–although strangely the voice is more alluring when he sings from offstage. And if his acting is a bit stiff, well, so is the role. Baritone Nathan Gunn charms as Harlekin, and Joyce Guyer, Jossie Pérez, and Alexandra Deshorties are wonderful as Najade, Dryade, and Echo respectively. The rest of the large cast is excellent–energetic and musical.
James Levine leads the chamber orchestra with vivid colors and exactly the right combination of schmaltz and irony. Picture and sound are fine–not HD, but fine–but I do wish that there were fewer close-ups and more reaction shots, which matter in comedy. But all other things being equal, if it’s an Ariadne on DVD you want and you don’t own the Jessye Norman/Levine/DG set, this one will make you very happy. [10/25/2010]
