Royal Opera House: Salomé

Feb 28, 2008

1h 51m

★ 3.0

Overview

David McVicar’s powerful Royal Opera House 2008 production of Strauss's opera – based on a play by Oscar Wilde – takes the controversial and disturbing film 120 Days of Sodom as its visual reference. The action is set in a debauched palace, which has suggestions of Nazi Germany. Strauss’s ravishing and voluptuous score adds to the sexual alchemy that is conjured by an international cast led by Nadja Michael in the title role.

Genres

Music

Drama

Production Companies

Royal Opera House

Opus Arte

Royal Opera House: Salomé Trailers

Cast

Salomé

Nadja Michael

Jokanaan

Michael Volle

Herodias

Michaela Schuster

Herod

Thomas Moser

Narraboth

Joseph Kaiser

First soldier

Christian Sist

Second soldier

Alan Ewing

Herodias's page

Daniela Sindram

A Cappadocian

Vuyani Mlinde

A slave

Pumeza Matshikiza

First Jew

Adrian Thompson

Second Jew

Martyn Hill

This set has Edita Gruberova singing in top form, all her scooping cast aside, which one finds in abundance in her Lucia under Richard Bonynge. Here, however, she makes ravishing use of those bits of tone that only she can produce: those instances of coloratura and dramatic legato with little asides and small florishes of style that suggest her intelligent approach and her high degree of musical involvement in this role. She does this in her I Puritani and her Anna Bolena, less so in Roberto Deveraux and Maria Stuarda(both sets). Listen to Addio del passato and the Sempre Libra...ravishing, yes, but there are again those nuances learned from Callas that she makes her own. A very singualr perform,ance, and extremely moving with its detail and cry for pity throughout..from the start even. Neil Schicoff is excellent, not an unworthy Alfredo at all! His is a great lyric tenor voice that should have been in the top line.

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No overview available.

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