Richard Strauss ARIADNE AUF NAXOS

Lise Davidsen stars in a much-heralded interpretation of the title role of Strauss’s enchanting masterpiece.

The exhilarating soprano Lise Davidsen makes her Met role debut in one of her signature roles, the mythological Greek heroine of Strauss’s ARIADNE AUF NAXOS. The outstanding cast also features mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as the Composer of the opera-within-an-opera around which the plot revolves, with soprano Brenda Rae as the spirited Zerbinetta and tenor Brandon Jovanovich as Ariadne’s lover, the god Bacchus. 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 by Marek Janowski.

“Soprano Lise Davidsen … filled the mighty Metropolitan Opera in a way few singers can … Unleashing floods throughout her range, from gleaming, solar high notes to brooding depths, Davidsen offered a nearly supernatural turn in a role out of Greek legend. The radiating, shimmering, ever so slightly metallic overtones that halo her voice make her sound arrestingly powerful and visceral. You feel it as almost physical presence – pressing against your chest, raising the hairs on the back of your neck.” (The New York Times)

Production year 2022
Production Company The Metropolitan Opera
Duration 126min.
Composer Richard Strauss
Orchestra / Band The Metropolitan Opera
Conductor Marek Janowski
Stage Director Elijah Moshinsky
Soloist Lise Davidsen
Soloist Isabel Leonard
Soloist Brenda Rae
Soloist Brandon Jovanovich
Soloist Wolfgang Brendel