Ariadne auf Naxos is one of the many beautifully crafted operas created by Richard Strauss and his librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal. In this compelling production, directed by Claus Guth, Christoph von Dohnányi leads a particularly strong cast of singer-actors in a thrilling interpretation of the work.

Ariadne is sung by the American soprano Emily Magee, who has received worldwide praise for her performances in works by both Wagner and Strauss. The German-born Italian tenor Roberto Saccà, who is now regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of his generation, takes the part of Bacchus.

Exploring the essence of the piece, Claus Guth and his designer Christian Schmidt worked with the binary opposites that are posited on every level of the work and that seem to be so clear-cut: on the one hand, there is the reality of the prologue and, on the other, the artificiality of the opera.

An entertaining and intelligently crafted production of one of the key operas exploring the intertextuality that occurs between 'real life' and what today would be called 'virtual reality'.

Live recording from the Zurich Opera House, 2006

Cast:
- Ein Musiklehrer: Michael Volle
- Der Komponist: Michelle Breedt
- Der Tenor / Bacchus: Roberto Saccà
- Zerbinetta: Elena Moşuc
- Primadonna / Ariadne: Emily Magee

Stage Director: Claus Guth

Sound Formats: PCM Stereo, DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Picture Format: 16:9
Resolution: 1080i FULL HD
Subtitle Languages: DE (Original Language), GB, FR, ES, IT
Running Time: 127 mins
Blu-ray Disc: 50 GB (Dual Layer)
FSK: 0
Region Code: Worldwide
Worldwide available, excluding Japan