Ariadne auf Naxos

"Music is a sacred art, gathering the wildest follies like cherubim around a gleaming throne!" - such is the Composer's article of faith proclaimed in the Prologue of Ariadne auf Naxos which is the most exciting opera of Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannstahl. It playfully combines two very different art forms: tragic opera and romantic farce. The result is a richly textured work that examines the role of art in society, and contrasts true love with cheerful promiscuity. "We perform merriness and sadness, love and death simultaneously because we must live. And this is life itself. As these emotions are mixed in our everyday lives, now they will be mixed at the theatre too." – says the stage director, Ferenc Anger