By Robert Croan “A 16-year-old girl with the voice of Isolde.” That’s how composer Richard Strauss described the requirements for the title part of Salome, his magnificent one-act opera that shocked audiences at its premiere in Dresden in 1905. He was referring to the biblical daughter of Herodias, who danced for the lecherous Herod and in return demanded the head of … [Read more...]
FGO’s ‘Salome’ benefits from strong lead, secondary performances
Today’s menu of visual entertainment encompasses literally everything thanks to digital technology, but even a complicated work of grand opera from more than a century ago still has the power to shock. Richard Strauss’s 1905 opera Salome, based on an Oscar Wilde play that was the last word in decadence at the time, also remains a formidable challenge for any house that wants … [Read more...]