An opera about an opera about an opera — Strauss goes full meta before it was cool.
Elijah Moshinsky’s witty production deftly walks the line between the lighthearted humor and the profound philosophical underpinnings of Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s opera, masterfully conducted here by Met Music Director James Levine. Deborah Voigt stars as Ariadne, the mythical heroine abandoned on the island of Naxos by her lover, and Richard Margison is Bacchus, the young god who eventually takes her away to a new life. The spectacular Natalie Dessay as Zerbinetta leads the troupe of comedians who unsuccessfully try to cheer Ariadne up. Susanne Mentzer is delightful as the young Composer of the opera-within-the-opera, and Wolfgang Brendel sings the Music Master.
Acting
Natalie Dessay's Zerbinetta — vocal acrobatics that defy physics.
Direction
Moshinsky balances farce and philosophy like a tightrope walker.
Score
Levine conducts Strauss's most self-aware orchestral confection.
Director
Elijah Moshinsky
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