Ariane

L'Arianna (English: Ariadne) (SV 291) was the second opera written by the Italian Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643). It was composed and first performed in 1607-08, as part of the musical festivities for a wedding at the court of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua, and was revived under the composer's direction in Venice, in 1640. The work is a setting of a libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini, who based his story on Ovid's Heroides and other classical sources. It recounts Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus on the island of Naxos, and her subsequent elevation as bride to the god Bacchus.
The opera, produced with lavish and innovatory special effects, was highly praised after its original performance, and was well received in Venice on its revival. Although the libretto has survived in several editions, Monteverdi's music has disappeared except for one segment, the extended recitative known as Lamento d'Arianna ("Ariadne's lament"). This was published by Monteverdi independently from the opera, in several different versions, and was widely imitated; the expressive lament became an integral part of Italian opera for at least half a century. In recent years it has become popular as a concert piece outside the context of the opera, and has been frequently recorded.