Edo De Waart leads a lovely performance of Ariadne auf Naxos here, with his then wife Ruth Welting as Zerbinetta. I've heard her performances from San Francisco and the Met and though she was very good in those, she is even better here, more relaxed and more vocally assured. She makes singing this difficult music sound easy. She has a fine trill as well, one that she uses even up to the high D where Strauss devilishly (and, perhaps, unrealistically) inserts a trill. Her four companions (look at those names!) are just as good and their scenes together are the highlights of the show.Heather Harper could sing just about anything and be impressive in it and she continues that here. Other Ariadnes have more profile, but Harper holds her own against the competition. Peter Lindroos is equally fine, singing with ringing, beautiful tone that never becomes strained or wobbly. He is one of the best interpreters of this roles I've ever heard. Yvonne Minton sings a passionate, soaring composer and no less than Geraint Evans is the stressed-out Music Teacher. The supporting cast includes a wonderful trio of Nymphs and great Covent Garden regulars like John Fryatt and Malcolm King in other roles. This seems to be taken from a broadcast - the voices are clearly heard though the tape itself may be several generations removed from the original. No matter - if you love Ariadne you'll want to hear this!

I bought it to hear Heather Harper's Ariadne. And Yvonne Minton's Composer. Promise half met. Harper became a better, more relaxed Straussian over time and left a couple of good Four Last Songs. She's pressed by the title role here, at least judging by this outing. Still, it's Harper. Ruth Welting intrigued me and made me look forward to her singing when I first heard her in this role in San Francisco -- with Leontyne Price. She delights here but the sound doesn't provide her lovely legato with the freshness that I know it there. An excellent if gruffer than usual Harlequin in Thomas Allen who in later years was a wonderful, not overdone Dancing Master. Sound isn't open, so the opera's freshness isn't the first thing you notice. Overall, worth a listen for aficionados of this opera (like me) who've heard the really great recordings and want to learn a bit more about what is (and isn't) possible elsewhere.

This was my first "Ariadne" and I saw the dress rehearsal of this production which was new at the time. The sound is poor, but persevere, as the end result is worth while. In those days ROHCG was able to cast from strength - see cast list - and they imported Ruth Welting as Zerbinetta, with husband Edo De Waart conducting. Welting gives a belter of a performance. Her voice is silvery and pin-point accurate. Very unusually at a dress rehearsal she sang out throughout and had to reprise her big number as the audience would not let the performance continue until she did. Harper is classy, but seems to stand back once Welting has let rip and Lindroos is not up to par.