On Richard Strauss’ birthday, enjoy this production of the rarely-heard opera “Die Liebe der Danae” (“The Love of Danae”), a comedy after Hugo von Hofmannsthal (libretto by Joseph Gregor), steeped in Greek mythology.

The powerful god Jupiter and the lowly donkey driver Midas compete for the love of the beautiful Danae. According to the promotional material, “The story is a Mozartean blend of comedy, romance, and drama on the themes of transformation and the acceptance of life’s changes, all brilliantly illuminated by Strauss’s orchestral mastery.” The production is a collaboration of stage director Kevin Newbury and architect Rafael Viñoly.

True to the mission of Bard SummerScape, this is the first time the opera has ever been staged in New York. The performance took place at Bard College in 2011. The American Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Leon Botstein:

Some background and a brief synopsis of the opera:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Liebe_der_Danae

Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Bard Music Festival, which was to have focused on Nadia Boulanger and her world, has been postponed until the summer of 2021.

You’ll find more information at the website of Fisher Center at Bard, https://fishercenter.bard.edu/summerscape/.