R. Strauss Ariadne auf Naxos opera to libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Directed 2012 by Philippe Arlaud at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus. Stars René Fleming (Ariadne/Primadonna), Eike Wilm Schulte (Ein Musikleher), Sophie Koch (Der Komponist), Robert Dean Smith (Bacchus/Der Tenor), and Jane Archibald (Zerbinetta). Christian Thielemann directs the Staatskapelle Dresden. Set and lighting design by Philippe Arlaud; costume design by Andrea Uhmann. Directed for TV by Brian Large. Sung in German. Released 2013, disc has dts-HD Master Audio surround sound. Grade: NA
David Patrick Sterns turned in a highly discerning report on this Ariadne auf Naxos in the September 2013 Gramophone at page 94. With Brian Large on board, you can try anything — apparently some of Act 2 is shot from the stage and shows the audience! Per Sterns, "once Fleming becomes Ariadne in Act 2, her vocal and theatrical authority are unassailable. It's great to see her in a role that suits her so comprehensively in a production that fully taps into her charisma." This title also got reviewed by David J. Baker in the November 2013 Opera News at page 67. He liked the singing and the orchestra, but was less enthusiastic about the staging.
Here’s an official trailer: