I just re-listened to this performance after several years and must say it's even better than I remembered. Vocally, Eileen Farrell is a sublime Ariadne, with her rich, powerful voice, but what I find most extraordinary in her performance is that she makes Ariadne funny. The character is clearly meant by Hofmannsthal as a send-up of the opera seria diva, and that is what Farrell gives us with her excellent treatment of the English text. Mattiwilda Dobbs is a delicious Zerbinetta, with a full, rounded tone, spirit, and technique for days--for once, one wishes she had more to sing. The three nymphs (singers otherwise unknown to me) do some quite virtuosic singing of their own. Jon Crain is a youthful-sounding god, not at all heroic, but sounding mostly quite comfortable with the impossible tessitura and matching Farrell in the duet. The only let-down is the four comedians, who perform gamely but sound anemic. The conducting and orchestra are as good as need be, and the sound is, too.

I was actually surprised how much I loved this performance! Ariadne auf Naxos in ENGLISH?!?! Well, with this cast, it works splendidly and I truly recommend this performance.

From Howard Taubman's review in the New York Times:[Thomas Scherman] had first-rate singers in the two leading roles. Eileen Farrell gave Ariadne memorable grandeur of voice and style, and Mattiwilda Dobbs sang Zerbinetta with accuracy, lightness and grace. The part of Ariadne lies perfectly for Miss Farrell's magnificent voice. She can float long-breathed phrases of matchless quality, and she can vary her tone from fine-hued softness to a sumptuous fullness. She has appeared in concert-form opera a great deal in smaller halls. When she sings in a large hall that can accommodate her voice, she is more impressive than ever.Miss Dobbs has the vocal agility and discipline to manage Zerbinetta's big aria, one of the most taxing in opera. If she is just a shade careful with it, who can blame her? She sang it not merely as a vocal exercise but as a piece with musical meaning.Jon Crain sang Bacchus with energy; his tenor has fine stuff in it but he will not try to refine it. Patricia Connor, Mary Judd and Madelyn Vose made a well-balanced. trio as Naiad, Echo and Dryad, and Russell Oberlin, Loren Driscoll, Robert Goss and Jan Rubes were agreeable as Zerbinetta's companions.Mr. Scherman did a workmanlike job of conducting the opera. He has presented it before, and he discovers new subtleties as he studies it more deeply. As a curtain raiser he conducted four symphonic interludes from Strauss' "Intermezzo."

We have only the Opera here, but I'm very grateful for this cast and performance. As Andy suggests above, it's a shame Farrell didn't do more Strauss as she sings Ariadne's music extremely well. I'll bet she would've been a hoot as the Prima Donna too. There are other sopranos who might sing the lines with more color, but they generally don't sing with Farrell's ease and warmth. Dobbs sings excellent trills, scales, and shining high notes; she also brings an effortless charm to Zerbinetta, something that has been elusive to many sopranos.Jon Crain sings Bacchus more easily than many another tenor. He was an excellent house tenor in the best sense. The Harlekin sounds more Broadway-ish than we're used to in this role, but he and his comrades make it work. Russell Oberlin is heard in the high tenor role of Brighella. The three nymphs are good though not as polished in their tricky music as one would like.The sound is listenable and gets better after the first few minutes. The cast's diction is quite good too. Highly recommended!

This is relic to be treasured of a golden era in New York City. In 1958, I was in James Madison High School. Bernie Sanders was in my class, btw. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a generation earlier and Chuck Schumer a decade later. Back then, Thomas Scherman's Carnegie Hall concerts presented great operas before City Opera and the Met did, often with great singers (Farrell and Dobbs) before the Met or City Opera had them. Not only were these nights to be cherished, they built up demand for these operas and these artists. This is a performance to be treasured on its own merits but it is also a memento of wonderful times gone by.