Opera – Ariadne on Naxos

An event organised by the Opéra National du Rhin.


"Ariadne on Naxos", an opera within an opera. The composer Richard Strauss and the writer Hugo von Hofmannsthal, an iconic duo in the history of the genre, explore the torments of creation: in the Prologue, we witness the final preparations for an opera centred on the figure of Ariadne, before attending the premiere of this new work.

Except that nothing goes to plan: the mysterious patron changes the performance conditions just minutes before the show is due to begin. Everyone must immediately reinvent themselves.

A ‘theatre within theatre’ situation, tinged with caustic humour and fascinating in its authenticity, as it plunges us into the urgency of the creative process. Director Myriam Marzouki, no stranger to exploring the intersection of ancient mythologies and contemporary contexts, sees in this a story ripe for reflective mise en abyme, where reality and fiction constantly collide and disorient: a way of conveying the subtle balance between artistic freedom and external constraints. In the orchestra pit, Christoph Koncz celebrates the richness of Strauss’s writing, his love of the human voice, his orchestral genius and the distinctly Mozartian radiance of this opera. Eugénie Joneau, a former member of the Opéra Studio, will make her debut in the title role, alongside a top-class international cast.