"It is a simple and monstrous problem of life: that of fidelity," is how Hugo von Hofmannsthal describes the core of their third joint opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, in a letter to Richard Strauss. To live, he said, does not mean persevering and wanting to cling to what has been lost. Anyone who wants to live must let go, forget, overcome themselves – constantly transform themselves. This is what a young opera composer experiences in this work, who is confronted with the stubborn wishes of his commissioner; just as it is the protagonist of his opera, Ariadne, who, abandoned by her lover, Theseus, awaits only death. But things turn out differently... Strauss and Hofmannsthal allow opposites to collide: tragedy and comedy, light music and grand opera, play and seriousness. Thus, in the reflection of art and life, between gaze and gaze, the unfathomable mystery of transformation takes place, unfathomable to…