Ariadne auf Naxos

This past month has been remarkable for me: I've seen no fewer than four productions of Ariadne, and most have been very good (we'll forget about the abominable one from Aix-en-Provence in 2018). Picking the best of three is hard. I'm tempted to go with the Met 2003 for solid production values, Levine's conducting and fine singing, but I felt the Bacchus and Ariadne were not exciting performers. Salzburg 2012 has a terrific Bacchus in Jonas Kaufmann--really the outstanding performance--and Mosuc and Magee are fine too, but there are longueurs because of the play. I'll go with this one from Zurich 2006. Mosuc is again Zerbinetta, and she is terrific, while Magee as Ariadne is more focussed, and better directed too. Roberto Sacca is Bacchus, and he sings well but is not visually arresting, as a god should be. Michelle Breedt does a good job as the Composer--why does she have a cut on her forehead, with blood dripping down? Oh well...