Ariadne is the princess of Crete, seduced and abandoned from Theseus on the island of Naxos. Zerbinetta is a cheerful „common mortal,“ intent on the game of loves that surrounds her. The one locked in sorrow, the other radiant in joy. The one an emblem of fidelity, the other of lightness.They are the heroines of two entire traditions, two souls of theater: one born to surprise and amuse, the other to plumb the depths of man.The distance separating them is not enough to to curb the whim of the aristocratic Viennese landlord who, in the prologue of Strauss’opera , decides that the two scheduled performances will be staged at the same time, on pain of missing the inevitable fireworks to midnight. And it is here that we discover – Richard Strauss and his librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal first, and we to follow – that the boundaries between drama and comedy are much less rigid than we expected. Greek myth is shot through with the hilarious energy of commedia dell’arte. On the island of Naxos, Harlequin, Brighella and their entire arsenal of pranks land, leaving the nymphs astonished at their oh-so-refreshing presence. (festivaldispoleto.com)