Wikipedia:Today's featured article/June 24, 2015

L'Arianna (Ariadne) was the second opera by Claudio Monteverdi, composed in 1607–08; all the music is lost apart from the extended recitative known as "Lamento d'Arianna", or "Ariadne's Lament" (pictured). One of the earliest operas, it was first performed on 28 May 1608, as part of the musical festivities for a royal wedding at the court of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua. The libretto was written in eight scenes by Ottavio Rinuccini, who used Ovid's Heroides and other classical sources to relate the story of Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus on the island of Naxos and her subsequent elevation as bride to the god Bacchus.The composer later said that the effort of creating the opera almost killed him. The first performance, produced with lavish and innovative special effects, was highly praised, and the work was equally well received in Venice when it was revived under the composer's direction in 1640 as the inaugural work for the Teatro San Moisè. Expressive laments became an integral feature of Italian opera for much of the 17th century. In recent years the "Lamento" has become popular as a concert and recital piece and has been frequently recorded.