 The opera has often been compared to Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande" which was first performed while Dukas was writing "Ariane et Barbe-bleue".Not only are both works settings of Maeterlinck, but there are musical similarities; Dukas even quotes from the Debussy work in his score.Although it won considerable praise, its success was overshadowed by the Paris premiere of Richard Strauss's sensational opera "Salome" at much the same time.