Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos

Disc 1
1	Ariadne auf Naxos, opera,
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Disc 2
1	Ariadne auf Naxos, opera,
2	Ariadne auf Naxos, opera,
3	Ariadne auf Naxos, opera,
4	Ariadne auf Naxos, opera,
5	Ariadne auf Naxos, opera,
6	Ariadne auf Naxos, opera,
7	Ariadne auf Naxos, opera,
Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos
1.	Ariadne auf Naxos, opera, Op. 60-II (TrV 228a) (revised version) 2:01:56
	Composed by Richard Strauss
	Conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli
	Performed by Jurgen Commichau, Natalie Dessay, Albert Dohmen, Dresden Staatskapelle, Stephan Genz, Matthias Henneberg, Ben Heppner, Anne Sofie von Otter, Romuald Pekny, Ian Thompson, Deborah Voigt, Michael Howard, Christiane Hossfeld, Eva Kirchner, Sami Luttinen, Christoph Genz and Klaus Florian Vogt

Barnes & Noble

Giuseppe Sinopoli died on April 20, 2001, while conducting a performance of Verdi's Aïda. Just a few months earlier, the 54-year-old Italian maestro had completed this recording of Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos -- and it turns out to be one of his finest achievements on disc. Sinopoli expertly balances the score's unusual mixture of comic bustle and luminous grandeur, aided by the beautifully burnished, exquisitely detailed playing of the Staatskapelle Dresden, a veteran Strauss orchestra. Of course, Ariadne demands a terrific cast, and Deutsche Grammophon has gathered together quite a team. Deborah Voigt has been singing the title role for years and seems to be caught here at her vocal peak. The voice itself is gloriously rich and her characterization aptly noble yet deeply expressive. Natalie Dessay makes a stylish Zerbinetta. Her performance of the long and flashy aria "Grossmächtige Prinzessin" is truly impressive; rarely have the runs and roulades been executed with such élan. Other coloraturas may have a firmer, more focused tone, but Dessay sounds appreciably less girlish and more womanly. The character of the composer makes only a brief appearance in the work's prologue, but it is a great mezzo role, and Anne Sofie von Otter's fans have been eagerly awaiting her recording. They won't be disappointed. Von Otter has all the youthful optimism and hot-headedness of an aspiring young genius, and she makes clear that Strauss intended the composer of this opera-within-an-opera to be quite the whiz kid. Ben Heppner makes the most of the rather ungrateful role of Bacchus, and it is refreshing to hear such commanding vocal heft in this daunting part. The smaller roles are filled nicely, with special praise going to Stephan Genz for his suave Harlekin. DG's sound quality is slightly lacking in focus but warmly atmospheric. All told, it would be hard to imagine a better tribute to Sinopoli than this recording, and it is very sad to realize that there will be no more to follow. Andrew Farach-Colton

Gramophone

This is, in short, an Ariadne auf Naxos of accomplishment and distinction. Michael Oliver