Martinů: Ariane, Dvojkoncert - CD

This CD presents Bohuslav Martinů’s one-act lyrical opera Ariane, H 370 (1958), and his Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani, H 271 (1938). Simona Šaturová sings Ariane, with Zoltán Nagy as Theseus, Baurzhan Anderzhanov as the Minotaur, Abdellah Lasri as Burún and the Guard, Tijl Faveyts as the Old Man, Ivo Kahánek on piano, and the Essen Philharmonic conducted by Tomáš Netopil. Martinů wrote Ariane in just one month in the summer of 1958, drawing on the Greek legend of Ariadne, who helps Theseus kill the Minotaur. Inspired by Georges Neveux’s dramatic treatment, Martinů created his own libretto, in which a divided Theseus struggles with himself and with the Theseus overcome by love for a woman. This new recording, made by Tomáš Netopil and the Essen Philharmonic 30 years after Václav Neumann’s recording with the Czech Philharmonic, features Simona Šaturová in the title role, including the abandoned Ariadne’s breathtaking closing lament. The opera is complemented by the Concerto for Two String Orchestras, a work shaped by the tense atmosphere of Europe in 1938 and by Martinů’s emotions concerning the fate of his homeland. Rather than despair, he expressed rebellion, courage and an unwavering belief in the future through powerful dramatic clashes and an unstoppable flow of sound.