• Jules Massenet. Opéra in five acts. 1906.
• Libretto by Catulle Mendès.
• First performance at the Paris Opéra on 31st October 1906.

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CHARACTERS

Ariane (Ariadne)	soprano
Phèdre (Phaedra), her sister	soprano
Perséphone	contralto
Thésée (Theseus)	tenor
Pirithoüs, his friend	baritone

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Ariadne and her sister Phaedra are both in love with Theseus, whose victory over the Minotaur they await. On the island of Naxos Theseus and Phaedra become lovers, discovered together by Ariadne. Phaedra stones the statue of Adonis, which topples over and kills her, and Ariadne seeks the help of the goddess to bring her sister back from Hades. There Ariadne is entertained by Persephone, who is persuaded to allow Phaedra to return with her sister to the land of the living. In the final act the sisters return, but it is with Phaedra that Theseus sails back to Athens, leaving Ariadne to disappear into the sea, lured by the Song of the Sirens with which the opera had opened.

Massenet’s opera Ariane enjoyed some immediate success, but failed to find a more lasting place in the repertoire.