| Ariane | |
|---|---|
| Opera byJules Massenet | |
 Poster byAlbert Maignan for the opera's première | |
| Librettist | Catulle Mendès |
| Language | French |
| Based on | Ariadne |
| Premiere | |
Ariane is anopera in five acts byJules Massenet to a Frenchlibretto byCatulle Mendès afterGreek mythology (the tale ofAriadne). It was first performed at thePalais Garnier inParis on 31 October 1906, withLucienne Bréval in the title role.[1]
The subject of Ariadne was widely-used in opera during the Baroque and early Classical periods and then in the 20th century. The Massenet-Mendès version is one of very few which depicts the heroine and Theseus on Crete and then on Naxos.[2] Massenet was publicly happy with his collaboration with Mendès, but his biographer claims that he disliked his librettist, whose words have been condemned by many critics;[3] for example "Ariane suffers from a long, heavy libretto in the French Classical tradition by Catulle Mendès that contains much garlanded verse but little in the way of credible emotional realism".[4] At the head of the score, Mendès offers quotes from his inspiration:Ovid,Racine andThomas Corneille.[5]
Although not a proper sequel, as Ariane dies in both pieces, Massenet's later opera,Bacchus is a companion toAriane, containing a number of common characters and having the same librettist.Ariane has never maintained popularity and belongs toMassenet's later works which are largely neglected. The piece did, however, inspire this quote from French composerGabriel Fauré: "Ariane, a noble, great and moving work..." The opera was performed during Massenet's life-time, then was dropped from the repertoire, receiving only limited revivals in 1937 (21 February and 27 August 1937) at theParis Opéra. The 1937 cast hadGermaine Lubin in the title role,Georges Thill as Thésée, Maryse Ferrer as Phèdre,Ketty Lapeyrette as Perséphone, withMartial Singher also in the cast, conducted byPaul Paray.[6]Ariane was seen atLa Monnaie Brussels on 23 November 1907 and had 23 performances in total through 1908; the cast includedClaire Croiza as Perséphone.[7]
It received performances in a new production at theMassenet Festival inSaint-Étienne on 9 November 2007, directed byJean-Louis Pichon, conducted byLaurent Campellone. One critic noted, that it is one of the mostWagnerian of Massenet's operas.[8]
One critic for the 1930s revival commented that one should "not look for what Massenet clearly did not put in the score", but noting the conventional first act, weaknesses in the ballet and the last two acts, praised the invocation to Cypris, Ariane's plea to Phèdre, the death of Phèdre and the scene with Perséphone.[9] Another critic discerns the influence ofGluck andBerlioz in the score, "especially in Ariadne’s visit to the underworld in Act 4 and her final death scene in Act 5" and found Massenet's "sound description of the sea [is] especially impressive. Undulating strings and pounding brass whip up a near storm at the beginning of the opera, while Sirens beguile Theseus’s sailors with exquisitely seductive vocal lines". Nonetheless he found the "rhythmic motifs, choral writing and orchestral textures... recognizably by Massenet.[4] The final scene uses a theme from his concert overture Phèdre of 1873.[9]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast[1] Conductor:Paul Vidal |
|---|---|---|
| Ariane | soprano | Lucienne Bréval |
| Thésée | tenor | Lucien Muratore |
| Périthoüs | baritone | Jean-François Delmas |
| Perséphone | mezzo-soprano | Lucy Arbell |
| Phèdre | soprano | Louise Grandjean |
| Cypris | soprano | Marcelle Demougeot |
| Eunoé | soprano | Berthe Mendès |
| Chromis | soprano | Antoinette Lauté-Brun |
| Phéréklos | baritone | Henri Stamler |
| Native chief | baritone | Pierre Triadou |
The story is based on the mythology surroundingTheseus and the sistersAriane andPhèdre. The two sisters are both in love with Theseus, yet he chooses Phèdre over Ariane. When Phèdre is killed by the toppled statue ofAdonis, Ariane travels to the underworld to begPerséphone for her sister's resurrection. Softened by Ariane's offering of roses, Perséphone complies and Phèdre returns to earth. Theseus is then made to choose between the sisters again and once more chooses Phèdre, abandoning Ariane on the shore ofNaxos. Distraught, she is lured into the sea by the voices of the beckoningsirens.
Two concert performances in January 2023 at Munich’sPrinzregententheater were issued on three CDs as a complete recording by Palazzetto Bru Zane, withAmina Edris (Ariane),Kate Aldrich (Phèdre), Jean-François Borras (Thésée), Jean Sebastien Bou (Pirithoüs), Julie Robard-Gendre (Perséphone), and Marianne Croux, Judith van Wanroij, Yoann Dubruque and Philippe Estèphe in supporting roles, with the choir of Bavarian Radio and Munich Radio Orchestra conducted by Laurent Campellone.[4]
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