This is a worthy visual supplement to the audio-only Ariadnes conducted by Bohm and reviewed this month (see page 154). Obviously the work was always a great favourite with the conductor and in his eighties he shows little or no decline in his direction of it. This being a film version, by Unitel and dating from 1978, without an audience present, one misses that frisson of spontaneity found on the 1944 and 1954 live CD sets. A cinematic adaptation of a production, by Sanjust, for the Vienna State Opera, the view of the work is fairly traditional, attractive in decor, full of pertinent detail and, where the commedia dell'arte figures are concerned, balletic movement. Above all the video director, the experienced John Vernon, persuaded all his principals to act with great conviction so that the very many close-ups reveal few specifically operatic gestures and plenty of genuine feeling.
Of course Gruberova, the Zerbinetta of her generation, vocally stronger than the mercurial Battle for Levine, is completely natural in front of the cameras, presenting her appealingly seductive portrait by means of facial and bodily expression. She sings the role with her accustomed confidence, indeed insouciance, troubled not at all by the demands of her long aria. She moves into a serious vein when this flighty Zerbinetta finds herself falling seriously in love with Trudeliese Schmidt's personable Composer in the Prologue. Comparison with Seefried for Karajan (on CD, EMI, 4/88) in that role proves Strauss right when he cast the part for a soprano. Schmidt and Troyanos (Levine), though both look suitably boyish and sing strongly, show strain at the top. In this Prologue Vienna scores with Berry's classic Music Master and Kunz's unerringly accented and wonderfully sardonic Major Domo.
Janowitz is quite in the vocal class of her famous predecessors, leaning more towards della Casa than Reining or Schwarzkopf, and slimmer of voice and figure than the refulgent Norman (Levine). She is on ecstatic form when Bacchus arrives on the scene and particularly moving at ''Gibt es ein Voruber?'' in the final duet. Although her acting is sometimes awkward, she makes a conscious effort to convey Ariadne's infatuation with Bacchus. Kollo looks the handsome god to the life but his tone is sometimes strained and he doesn't have the warmth of Lorenz or Schock on the Bohm CD versions. He is, however, more subtle than James King (Levine), indeed wholly obedient to the score's markings. The commedia dell'arte figures are fleetly led by Zednik (doubling as a nicely adaptable Dancing Master) and McDaniel.
There is no LaserDisc version. The video picture is reasonably good, the sound excellent. I would prefer this video version to the Levine, not least because of Bohm's slimmer, more diaphanous account of the miraculous score.'