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Ariadne on Naxos
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November 2026  | ||||||
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Ariadne auf Naxos – Richard Strauss | Opera
Opera in one act with a prologue
Text: Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Language: German
About the work
When the planned performance of his opera seria Ariadne auf Naxos is combined in the palace of a wealthy Viennese patron with the dance masquerade of an Italian comedy troupe, the young composer is initially in despair.
His eventual agreement is due mainly to the dancer Zerbinetta. In the opera itself, we meet Ariadne, abandoned and in despair. Only the god Bacchus succeeds in awakening her to new life. In the mystical union of the two, there is still room for Zerbinetta’s mockery: “When the new god arrives, we are left in silence, surrendered!”
SYNOPSIS
PROLOGUE
The palace of the "richest man in Vienna" is bustling with activity. Servants are setting the stage for the evening, while behind the scenes two completely different troupes are preparing for their performance. One is to perform an opera seria: Ariadne auf Naxos, the debut work of a young composer. The other is a commedia dell'arte troupe around Zerbinetta, specializing in improvisation and comedy.
Sparks fly between the participants even before the show begins. Singers, dancers and comedians encounter each other with suspicion and jealousy. Then the steward delivers an unexpected instruction on behalf of the master of the house: due to time constraints, the two planned performances are not to take place one after the other, but at the same time, as a fireworks display is planned after the theater.
This comes as a shock to the young composer. He sees his work distorted, his artistic ideals betrayed and considers withdrawing the performance altogether. The pragmatic music teacher tries to mediate and save the situation. Above all, however, it is Zerbinetta who lures the composer out of his despair with her charm, self-confidence and life experience. In the end, he bows to reality. With a hymn to the music, he bids farewell to his original idea and the performance begins in the new, forced form.
OPERA
In front of a cave on the island of Naxos, Ariadne mourns Theseus, who has left her. Since then, the world has come to a standstill for her. She longs for death and barely notices what is happening around her. Even the three nymphs - Naiad, Dryad and Echo - are unable to break her out of her torpor.
Then Zerbinetta and her companions appear. They try to cheer Ariadne up with wit, charm and theatrical skills. Zerbinetta in particular holds up her own experience to the abandoned woman: for her, love is not a one-off, irrevocable fate, but something mobile and changeable. In her great aria, she promotes change, the ability to fall in love again and not to prescribe a single form for life.
Ariadne remains unaffected by this. For her, there is only absolute fidelity and total loss. Only when a young stranger approaches from afar does her longing for death begin to waver. It is Bacchus, who has just escaped from the arms of the sorceress Circe, with whom he could not find what he was looking for. He is exhausted, searching and at the same time divinely radiant.
Ariadne initially believes him to be the messenger of death she has longed for and goes to meet him. But when the two meet, the situation changes. Grief turns into ecstasy, abandonment into a new bond. Ariadne and Bacchus each recognize more in the other than they expected: a way out of loneliness and wandering, a new possibility in life. The opera thus ends in a double transformation: Ariadne and Bacchus emerge as a couple who seem to have been created anew.
Program and cast
Housekeeper: Andrea Eckert
Music Teacher: Michael Nagy
Composer: Kate Lindsey
Tenor / Bacchus: Daniel Behle
Dance Master: Jörg Schneider
Zerbinetta: Serena Sáenz
Prima Donna / Ariadne: Golda Schultz
Harlequin: Jusung Gabriel Park
Scaramuccio: Matthäus Schmidlechner
Truffaldino: Simonas Strazdas
Brighella: Daniel Jenz
Echo: Jenni Hietala
Dryad: Anja Mittermüller
Musical Direction: Franz Welser-Möst
Stage Direction: Barrie Kosky
Set Design: Rufus Didwiszus
Costumes: Victoria Behr
Lighting: Franck Evin
Vienna State Opera
Public Transport
Subway lines: U1, U2, U4
Trams: 1, 2, D, J, 62, 65
Buses: 59A
Local Railway: Badner Bahn
Stops: Karlsplatz / Opera
Taxi stands are available nearby.
Parking
Parking is only € 6, - for eight hours!
The Wiener Staatsoper and the ÖPARK Kärntner Ring Garage on Mahlerstraße 8, under the “Ringstraßengalerien”, offer the patrons of the Vienna State Opera a new, reduced parking fee. You can park in the Kärntner Ring Garage for up to 8 hours and pay only a flat fee of € 6, -. Just validate your ticket at one of the discount machines inside the Wiener Staatsoper. The normal rate will be charged for parking time greater than 8 hours. The validation machines can be found at the following coat checks: Operngasse, Herbert von Karajan-Platz, and the right and left and balcony galleries.
Important: In order to get the discount, please draw a ticket and do not use your credit card when entering the garage!
After devaluing your ticket in the Wiener Staatsoper you can pay comfortably by credit card or cash at the vending machines.
The machines accept coins and bills up to 50.- Euro. Parking time longer than 8 hours will be charged at the normal rate.
History
The structure of the opera house was planned by the Viennese architect August Sicard von Sicardsburg, while the inside was designed by interior decorator Eduard van der Nüll. It was also impacted by other major artists such as Moritz von Schwind, who painted the frescoes in the foyer, and the famous "Zauberflöten" (“Magic Flute”) series of frescoes on the veranda. Neither of the architects survived to see the opening of ‘their’ opera house: the sensitive van der Nüll committed suicide, and his friend Sicardsburg died of a stroke soon afterwards.
On May 25, 1869, the opera house solemnly opened with Mozart's Don Giovanni in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth.
The popularity of the building grew under the artistic influence of the first directors: Franz von Dingelstedt, Johann Herbeck, Franz Jauner, and Wilhelm Jahn. The Vienna opera experienced its first high point under the direction of Gustav Mahler. He completely transformed the outdated performance system, increased the precision and timing of the performances, and also utilized the experience of other noteworthy artists, such as Alfred Roller, for the formation of new stage aesthetics.
The years 1938 to 1945 were a dark chapter in the history of the opera house. Under the Nazis, many members of the house were driven out, pursued, and killed, and many works were not allowed to be played.
On March 12, 1945, the opera house was devastated during a bombing, but on May 1, 1945, the “State Opera in the Volksoper” opened with a performance of Mozart's THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. On October 6, 1945, the hastily restored “Theaters an der Wien” reopened with Beethoven's FIDELIO. For the next ten years the Vienna State Opera operated in two venues while the true headquarters was being rebuilt at a great expense.
The Secretary of State for Public Works, Julius Raab, announced on May 24, 1945, that reconstruction of the Vienna State Opera would begin immediately. Only the main facade, the grand staircase, and the Schwind Foyer had been spared from the bombs. On November 5, 1955, the Vienna State Opera reopened with a new auditorium and modernized technology. Under the direction of Karl Böhm, Beethoven’s FIDELIO was brilliantly performed, and the opening ceremonies were broadcast by Austrian television. The whole world understood that life was beginning again for this country that had just regained its independence.
Today, the Vienna State Opera is considered one of the most important opera houses in the world; in particular, it is the house with the largest repertoire. It has been under the direction of Dominique Meyer since September 1, 2010.
© Wiener Staatsoper
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