Tomorrow night I make what’s more or less an annual trip to the Eastside to the Meydenbauer Center for the Seattle Opera Young Artists. Meydenbauer is tiny compared to McCaw Hall, and it’s easier to get involved in the show without opera glasses.
This spring’s opera is Ariadne auf Naxos (April 1-11), which is a 1916 Richard Strauss/Hugo von Hofmannsthal mash-up that I am not sure anyone has perpetrated the likes of in opera since. It’s got gorgeous Strauss tunes, but it’s also a very fun take on creative conflict.
An opera within an opera, Ariadne begins with a prologue where we learn that, due to a snafu, two entertainment acts at a big party are set to go on at the same time. (Gotten Himmel!) In the second part, the classical story of weepy Ariadne (dumped by Theseus) is invaded by a group of commedia dell’arte players who are all, “Hey, it’s not the end of the world, cheer up.” (It’s almost irresistible to begin imagining all the other tragedies which would be improved by a traveling troupe of clowns interrupting things.)
Director Peter Kazaras couldn’t fit the whole orchestra into the Meydenbauer pit, so he’s arranged to pop them out and onto the stage–he explains why they chose such a challenging opera in this YouTube interview. Kazaras just pulled off a terrific Falstaff on Seattle Opera’s mainstage, so I am expecting great things.