Maurice Maeterlinck
Other operas based on plays by Maurice Maeterlinck:
Pelléas et Mélisande (Pelléas and Mélisande) - Claude Debussy
Charles Perrault
Other operas based on fairy tales by Charles Perrault:
Cendrillon - Pauline Viardot-Garcia
Cendrillon (Cinderella) - Jules Massenet
Ariane et Barbe-Bleue - Paul Dukas
Information about the opera Ariane et Barbe-Bleue by Paul Dukas, and the best recordings available on CD or DVD, or for download.
Adapted from the symbolist play by Maurice Maeterlinck, which in turn was based on the fairy tale Bluebeard by the 17th century French author Charles Perrault.
Recommended recordings on DVD
Denève/Charbonnet/Dam (Opus Arte OA 1098 D)
Ariane frees Bluebeard's five other wives from the underground vault, in Paul Dukas's opera Ariane et Barbe-Bleue.
This is the first DVD version of this rarely-performed opera, from Claus Guth's production at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in 2011. The performances are excellent, especially Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet as Ariane.
Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Theatre del Liceu, conducted by Stéphane Denève, 2011.
Cast: Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet (Ariane), José van Dam (Barbe-bleue), Patricia Bardon (Nurse).
Opus Arte OA 1098 D