A wealthy patron hires a tragic opera company and a troupe of slapstick comedians for the same evening. Then he orders them to share the stage. The chaos that follows drives Richard Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos,” which Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music will stage this weekend in Morrison Theater at Brockman Hall for Opera.
“My inspiration for this production actually came from being asked to put on a gala at Buckingham Palace in London,” director Paul Curran said. “The experience was nearly identical to the events of this opera.”
Egos collide backstage in the prologue as both companies absorb the patron’s demand. In the opera that follows, the abandoned princess Ariadne mourns on the island of Naxos while a band of comedians tries to cheer her up.
“‘Ariadne auf Naxos’ is a brilliantly crafted work, both hilariously funny and deeply moving,” said conductor Christian Reif, who leads the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra. “Bringing its contrasting musical styles to life is no small feat.”
“The music is difficult, the German language goes a mile a minute, which is challenging for nonnative speakers, and the amount of dramatic focus and energy required to sustain the theatrical roller coaster is massive,” said Joshua Winograde, director of opera studies at the Shepherd School of Music.
Winograde said the opera would stretch a typical conservatory. The Shepherd School can stage it, he said, because its singers are more advanced technically, musically and dramatically than any student cast he has seen, and because Reif and Curran know the work intimately and hold the cast and orchestra to exacting standards.
Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 and 2 p.m. Nov. 1. The opera is sung in German with English surtitles. Tickets are available on the Shepherd School’s website. Reif will host a preshow talk in the Tudor Patrons’ Lounge one hour before each curtain, open to ticket holders on a first-come, first-served basis.