Salomé

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Salomé

Opéra Bastille - from 15 October to 05 November 2022

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Opera

Salomé

Richard Strauss

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Opéra Bastille - from 15 October to 05 November 2022

1h40 no interval

Language : German

Surtitle : French / English

Pre‑opening for the young : 12 Oct. 2022
Opening night : 15 Oct. 2022

Certain explicit scenes of a violent and sexual nature may upset sensitive audiences.

About

In few words:

Salome, princess of Judea, the daughter‑in‑law of King Herod, finds life in her father‑in‑law’s palace dreary. Her curiosity is roused when she hears the voice of Jochanaan, a prophet held prisoner by Herod who is afraid of him. Obsessed by this enigmatic and virtuous man, Salome is ready to do anything to possess him, dead or alive. Drawing on Oscar Wilde’s scandalous play of the same name, in 1905 Richard Strauss produced the work that was to ensure his status as Wagner’s successor in the history of German opera. “Dance for me, Salome”. From Herod’s lubricious injunction to the young woman stems one of the most emblematic orchestral passages in opera: the dance of the seven veils. A hypnotic interlude in itself sufficient to capture the fatal mounting desire that suffuses this work whose orchestration is as rich as it is modern. A dazzling hour and forty minutes, decadent in its very essence, which, for her debut at the Paris Opera, Lydia Steier treats as a dystopia in which amorality rules.

Contemplating the feast given by Herod, Narraboth, the young Syrian, only has eyes for Princess Salome. Indifferent to the discussion of the soldiers, he hears neither the page, who advises him to divert his gaze, nor the disturbing prophesies of Jochanaan who has been locked up in a cell on the orders of the Tetrarch. Salome appears, seeking refuge from the ogling of her stepfather, Herod, and the debauchery of the guests. The voice of the prophet rings out again and the princess speaks of the Tetrarch’s fear of this man who has cursed her mother, Herodias, for adultery. Seized by a violent desire to see and speak to him, Salome turns to Narraboth and, disregarding the soldiers’ refusal, extracts from him the order to have Jochanaan brought out. On emerging from his cell, Jochanaan defies Herod and reviles Herodias, impugning her with every villainy. Salome is fascinated by this man so different from all she knows. She voices her desire to touch his body and kiss his mouth. Unable to bear her gaze, the prophet repulses her, while she shouts out her love for him, deaf to the supplications of Narraboth, who, despairing when she does not hear him, kills himself. Jochanaan curses her and returns to his gaol. The Tetrarch and Herodias appear in search of Salome. Herod is worried. He stumbles over Narraboth’s corpse and asks that it be removed. The queen urges him to come back in, but he invites Salome to share his meal. The Jews, then the Nazarenes, enter into an argument about the coming of the Messiah, a debate punctuated by the imprecations of Jochanaan. Paying no attention to Herodias, who, beside herself, begs that he be silenced, the Tetrarch entreats Salome to dance for him. She refuses, but he insists, swearing that he will give her anything she desires. Salome accepts, in spite of her mother’s protestations. The dance leaves Herod in ecstasy, ready to grant the recompense he has promised. Salome demands the head of Jochanaan. Horrified, the Tetrarch tries to dissuade her, offering all his treasures in exchange. Salome stands her ground, reminding him of his pledge. Exhausted, Herod capitulates. The execution takes place in silence in the prison. Having received the reward for her dance, Salome takes it and kisses the mouth that scorned her. Herod turns his back and orders the soldiers to kill Salome.

CHARACTERS

Herod: Tetrarch of Judea
Herodias: Herod’s wife, mother of Salome
Salome: Princess of Judea, fascinated by Jochanaan
Jochanaan: Prophet, prisoner of Herod
Narraboth: Captain of the guard, in love with Salome
Herodias’ Page: serving in the palace
Five Jews: who claim Jochanaan from Herod
Two Nazarenes: who report the miracles of Christ

Opening
First part 100 mn
End

Salomé

Lyric drama in one act (1905)

After Oscar Wilde's eponymous play, in German translation by Hedwig Lachmann

Music

Richard Strauss

(1864 - 1949)

Libretto

Richard Strauss

Conductor

Simone Young

Director

Lydia Steier

Set design and video

Momme Hinrichs

Costume design

Andy Besuch

Lighting design

Olaf Freese

Dramaturgy

Maurice Lenhard
Salomé

Elza van den Heever

Herodes

John Daszak

Herodias

Karita Mattila

Jochanaan

Iain Paterson

Narraboth

Tansel Akzeybek

Page der Herodias

Katharina Magiera

Erster Jude

Matthäus Schmidlechner

Zweiter Jude

Éric Huchet

Dritter Jude

Maciej Kwaśnikowski

Vierter Jude

Mathias Vidal

Fünfter Jude

Sava Vemić

Erster Nazarener

Luke Stoker

Zweiter Nazarener

Yiorgo Ioannou

Erster Soldat

Dominic Barberi

Zweiter Soldat

Bastian Thomas Kohl

Cappadocier

Alejandro Baliñas Vieites

Ein Sklave

Marion Grange

Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris

Salomé is the subject of a recording directed by François-René Martin, co-produced by the Paris Opera and Telmondis, with the participation of Mezzo and Medici.tv, with the support of the CNC and the Orange Foundation, sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts.
This performance will be broadcast live on 27 October 2022 at 8pm on L'Opéra chez soi and on medici.tv, and with the support of FRA cinéma, in UGC cinemas, as part of their "Viva l'Opéra!" season, and in independent cinemas in France and Europe, and later worldwide. Broadcast on 4 November 2022 at 9pm on Mezzo live HD. Broadcast on 30 November 2022 at 7pm in CGR cinemas.

Opera recorded by France Musique and broadcast on November 19th 2022 in "Samedi à l'Opéra", presented by Judith Chaine.

Media coverage

South African soprano Elza van den Heever fully takes on the title role and lends it as much authority as seduction.
Philippe Venturini, Les Échos
A very radical production, transposed into a post-apocalyptic world.
Christian Merlin - France Musique
Elza van den Heever is absolutely fabulous in her role debut: she does what she wants with her voice in nuances that range from the sharpest and most icy to the most lyrical...
Christian Merlin - France Musique
On second thought, would a Salome that doesn’t shock still be a Salome? The play has lost nothing of its disturbing force, which Lydia Steier exploits to the end.
Christian Merlin, Le Figaro

Performances

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Gallery

1/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

2/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

3/12 : © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

4/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

5/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

6/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

7/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

8/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

9/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

10/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

11/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

12/12 : Salome by Richard Strauss (season 22/23) © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

Videos clips

1/4 : [EXTRAIT] SALOMÉ by Richard Strauss (Elza van den Heever)

2/4 : [EXTRAIT] SALOMÉ by Richard Strauss

3/4 : [INTERVIEW] Simone Young and Lydia Steier about SALOME

4/4 : [INTERVIEW] Lydia Steier about SALOMÉ

Audio clips

Salomé (saison 22/23)

Salomé (saison 22/23) - Elza Van Den Heever

Salomé (saison 22/23) - Orchestre Seul

Salomé (saison 22/23) - John Daszak, Karita Mattila, Elza Van Den Heever

Backstage

Podcast

Podcast Salomé
Video

Draw-me Salome
Video

Salome : « it will punch you in the stomach »

07’

Podcast

Podcast Salomé

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" - by France Musique

By Charlotte Landru-Chandès

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" offers original incursions into the season thanks to broadcasts produced by France Musique and the Paris Opera. For each opera or ballet production, Charlotte Landru-Chandès (opera) and Jean-Baptiste Urbain (dance), present the works and artists you are going to discover when you attend performances in our theatres.

01:42’

Video

Draw-me Salome

Understand the plot in 1 minute

By Matthieu Pajot

Salome, princess of Judea, the daughter‑in‑law of King Herod, finds life in her father‑in‑law’s palace dreary. Her curiosity is roused when she hears the voice of Jochanaan, a prophet held prisoner by Herod who is afraid of him. Obsessed by this enigmatic and virtuous man, Salome is ready to do anything to possess him, dead or alive.
Drawing on Oscar Wilde’s scandalous play of the same name, in 1905 Richard Strauss produced the work that was to ensure his status as Wagner’s successor in the history of German opera.
“Dance for me, Salome”. From Herod’s lubricious injunction to the young woman stems one of the most emblematic orchestral passages in opera: the dance of the seven veils. A hypnotic interlude in itself sufficient to capture the fatal mounting desire that suffuses this work whose orchestration is as rich as it is modern.

A dazzling hour and forty minutes, decadent in its very essence, which, for her debut at the Paris Opera, Lydia Steier treats as a dystopia in which amorality rules.

Salome : « it will punch you in the stomach »

07:29’

Video

Salome : « it will punch you in the stomach »

Interview with Simone Young and Lydia Steier

By Isabelle Stibbe

On the occasion of the new production of Salome, conductor Simone Young and director Lydia Steier discuss Richard Strauss's music and their vision of the work.

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