Martinů composed Ariane in 1958 whilst working on his final opera, The Greek Passion – he described it in a letter to his family as 'taking a rest' from the larger work. The composition took just over a month. The bravura style of the writing for Ariadne reflects Martinů's admiration of Maria Callas. The opera is in a straightforward lyrical style with deliberate references to the operas of Monteverdi and other early composers.
| Librettist | Bohuslav Martinů (Drawn from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th acts of the 1943 play by Georges Neveux, Le Voyage de Thésée, (who had supplied the text to the composer's earlier opera Julietta).) |
| Date of composition | 1958 in Schönenberg, Switzerland |
| Premiered | 1961 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany |
| Type | Opera |
| Catalogue | H 370 |
| Approx. duration | 40 minutes |
| Spoken language | French |
| Instruments |
Voice (Soprano)
- Ariane (Ariadne)
Voice (Baritone) - Thésée (Theseus) Voice (Bass) - Minotaur Voice (Tenor) - Bouroun Theseus's comrade Voice (Bass) - Watchman, tenor Voice (Bass) - Old Man 5x Voice - Male voices ; Five youths of Athens, companions of Theseus |
| Autotranslations beta |
Bohuslav Martinů: Ariane, H 370 Bohuslav Martinů: Ariane, H 370 Bohuslav Martinů: Ariane, H 370 |