Strauss: Adriadne auf Naxos. (Valedictory: Giuseppe Sinopoli's final opera recording is an all-star Ariadne of unusual merit).(Review)

[] Voigt, Dessay von Otter; Heppner, C. Genz, Dohmen; Staatskapelle Dresden, Sinopoli. Text and translations. DG 471 323 2

There has never been a completely unsatisfying recording of Ariadne auf Naxos, but there has never been an undisputed classic that swept the field either. Giuseppe Sinopoli's new version (which turned out to be his final opera recording before his death last April) has such a high-powered cast that at least one opera fan thought it was only a rumor. If the final product is not (quite) the dream performance hoped for, this is still a recording of unusual merit.

Some of Sinopoli's opera recordings are chiefly noted for their idiosyncrasies (his Manon Lescaut in particular), so it is a pleasure to report that the overriding impression of this one is his affection for the score. Many conductors are attracted to Ariadne for the opportunity to show off their technique with the difficult changes of mood. (They usually give themselves away by tearing through the introduction, which Strauss marks to be played "cheerfully," thus spoiling the effect of the return of this music for the Composer's aria.) Sinopoli was a virtuoso, of course, but here he used his skill to elicit a superbly stylish performance. There is welcome, luscious string portamento and a suitably Viennese hothouse quality to the start of the opera proper. The music of the comedians is aptly loopy, and the first dance of Zerbinetta's troupe, which sometimes seems like padding, is paced so beautifully that it is now a highlight. Partnership with Natalie Dessay's extraordinary Zerbinetta clearly inspired Sinopoli; he's like a brilliant catcher in a trapeze act. And he handles the last half of the opera with a grasp of the long view, the tempo of the nymph's amazement at the arrival of Bacchus breathlessly fast, allowing subsequent lullabies to make the full effect. The Dresden orchestra, also heard on Kempe's fine 1968 EMI recording, is especially notable for the distinctive tone of the first oboist and cellist.

The revelation among the singers is Ben Heppner's Bacchus. This role is considered all but uncastable, yet Heppner is untiring and prodigious of voice, and his solo at "Du schones Wesen" is remarkably expressive. We come to await his god-like sound as ardently as Ariadne does. (He interpolates a high B-flat at "um dich und mich," which is apparently obligatory these days, though Strauss clearly intended ...