(The Abandonment of Ariane or, in German, Die Verlassene Ariadne), Op. 98, is an opera in one act by Darius Milhaud to a French libretto by Henri Hoppenot, based on Greek mythology. It is the second of three Opéras-Minutes (Mini-Operas) that Milhaud composed. It came between L'Enlèvement d'Europe, Op. 94, and La Délivrance de Thésée, Op. 99, with librettos also by Henri Hoppenot (1891–1977), a French diplomat. The three operas together last about twenty-seven minutes.
Performance history The first performance of the trilogy - L'Enlèvement d'Europe, L'Abandon d'Ariane and La Délivrance de Thésée - was at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Germany, on 20 April 1928. These performances were given in a German translation by Rudolph Stephan Hoffmann.
L'Abandon d'Ariane has been recorded several times; however, it is rarely performed live.
Roles RoleVoice typePremiere Cast, 20 April 1928(Conductor: Joseph Rosenstock)Ariadne, princess of Cretesoprano Dionysos, god of winebaritonePhädra, Ariadne's younger sistersoprano Theseus, Greek herotenorBacchantes, sailors chorus
References
External links Milhaud, his diplomat librettists, and the influence of Brazil, in The Boeuf chronicles, Pt. 30, by Daniella Thompson.