But it doesn’t mean that the singing and acting demands of the opera would be neglected. Another slow burn approach is executed that prepared the audience for the final kill.Ĭoming up with a production this controversial would mean stirring the pot. The bloody finale was more like expected since the long aria Salome delivered upon clutching the severed head of Baptist into her hands revealed the twisted reasons behind everything. Herod, perhaps due to his lecherousness, took a long while to realize that the girl he’s been lusting over is actually a monster – one with bloodthirsty tendencies much much worse than her mother. So bent was she in avenging her spurned pride, she insisted that the only reward she ever wanted for her erotic performance is the head of John the Baptist serves on a silver platter. This is why she locked Herod in an oath that would put even his social status on the line. Salome is very much aware of what she wanted, no matter how shallow and unjustifiable. Add the lighting effects to spice up the eroticism and the drama and you got yourself a classic. This is the vision of Richard Strauss finally fulfilled (because most sopranos that took over this role would at least leave something on, no matter how thin). Devoid of Hollywood special effects, photoshop and whatever special effect you could think of related to nudity are not here. Deep in my head I was like “Can she do it?” And then … Besides, the last “veil” is thin enough to realize she’s not wearing any underwear. It’s the first complete version of Salome that I have watched so I don’t have previous versions to use as comparison. And no it’s not because her dance is erotic. The slow burn towards the final piece of clothing removed is quite riveting – the kind that keeps you at the edge of your seat. Quite bloody but then again, she thinks herself as one that could get away with anything because she’s the Princess of Judea. In fact, it’s the rejection that Salome felt from Baptist that spurned her into this scheme. The closest thing she ever got to flirtation is by removing one of the layers of her clothing and waving it on top of the Baptist’s cage. She dances slowly with no shade of flirtation whatsoever. This is where you realize the depths of malevolence that Salome possesses. On the other hand, using Herod’s weakness is the only way Salome can get what she wanted – death to the only man who ever rejected her. You then understand the concern that Herodias had over her daughter the moment the latter agreed to dance for Herod. But the sequence is still the same – 7 pieces of clothing. In this version, the veils become layers of clothing that Salome takes off one by one since this dance is more about skin exposure than actual dancing skill. How beautiful and talented was Salome to succeed in pressuring Herod into giving her the severed head of John the Baptist (played by Michael Devlin Jokanaan in the libretto)? It can’t simply be dancing in front of him in the middle of one of his lavish banquets and then she gets what she wanted? And what could have motivated her to go for it when it is actually Herodias that wanted John the Baptist dead and not Salome? Could she have ulterior motives too? What is the Bible not telling us then? In the Bible, the story focused on how lecherous and vile Herod (played by Kenneth Riegel) was – sleeping with his sister-in-law, Herodias (played by Gillian Knight) and, at the same time, lusting after his niece/stepdaughter, Salome. The version that we will discuss is the version where Maria Ewing willfully agreed to push the limits of the dance and go buff before a live crowd in the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Usually, that dance was performed in previous productions with the soprano playing Salome stripping herself off of all the 7 veils, leaving only some glittering negligee. That dance was known to have been popularized by Salome, daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter of Herod that she used to extort the latter into giving her the decapitated head of John the Baptist on a silver platter. And I will discuss one of them here – Richard Strauss’s “Salome”, one of his craziest works.īased on a French play written by Oscar Wilde (instead of the Bible since very little is said about her there) you may have heard about the Dance of the Seven Veils. I am referring to Richard Strauss and 2 of his operatic masterpieces changed the opera industry forever. What if I tell you that once in opera, somebody dared to shock the market and rock everyone on their seats with their revolutionary approach on opera?
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