The Sleeping Ariadne in Naxos by John Vanderlyn (Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain) In a recent post we shared a description of Ariadne as offered by Philostratus the Elder: But look at Ariadne, or rather her sleep. Her breasts are bare to her navel, her neck is back and her soft throat, and her armpit, the right one, is all visible. Her left hand lies upon her… Read more
Opera, like ancient Greek lyric and epic, is a highly visual art capable of mesmerizing audiences with spectacles of joy, shocking humor, and the depths of grief. The current Glimmerglass production of Ariadne in Naxos sets the Ariadne myth in modern times. Below are renderings of Bacchus and Ariadne by designer Erik Teague for this beautiful production. Costume renderings by Erik Teague for The Glimmerglass Festival’s 2014 production of… Read more
CHS Director Gregory Nagy has long been interested in comparative work on ancient Greek poetry and the modern mediums of film and opera. For many years now, Nagy has been using the 1951 film adaptation of Jacques Offenbach’s opera The Tales of Hoffmann to introduce new readers to concepts related to ancient Greek heroes. In fact, Nagy has developed detailed, almost frame-by-frame commentary on this cinematic masterpiece. This work led Nagy and the Center… Read more
