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Salome

Richard Strauss, Ivo van Hove, De Nationale Opera

If she can’t have his love, Princess Salome will have John the Baptist’s head on a silver platter. Richard Strauss’ opera Salome (1905) is an inescapable eruption of religion, sex, and violence. Dutch National Opera is premiering a new staging by director Ivo van Hove. In addition to his work as artistic director of Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Van Hove has directed operas such as Der Ring des Nibelungen (2007/2008, Antwerp/Ghent) and Brokeback Mountain (2014, Madrid), and David Bowie’s musical Lazarus (2015, New York). The Swedish soprano Malin Byström stars in the title role, Russian bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin is singing the role of John the Baptist. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is conducted by Daniele Gatti. This Salome promises to be a passionate analysis of the human spirit.

dates

9 June - 5 July 2017

information

  • German

  • Duration of performance unknown (geen pauze)

Oscar Wilde was inspired for his only successful tragedy by passages from the Books of Mark and Matthew about Salome's feelings of love and hate for John the Baptist. The stepdaughter of King Herod is driven by her desire for John the Baptist. However, he rejects her advances. So after performing a veil dance for Herod, Salome demands the head of John the Baptist.

Oscar Wilde was inspired for his only successful tragedy by passages from the Books of Mark and Matthew about Salome's feelings of love and hate for John the Baptist. The stepdaughter of King Herod is driven by her desire for John the Baptist. However, he rejects her advances. So after performing a veil dance for Herod, Salome demands the head of John the Baptist.

Richard Strauss based his Salome (1905) on Oscar Wilde's tragedy. Kaiser Wilhelm II had reservations about the project at the time, telling Strauss, 'This Salome will do you no good.' To which the composer, looking back on a sensational success, later responded, 'The 'no good' enabled me to build my house in Garmisch.' 

 

Director Ivo van Hove has previously worked with the Dutch National Opera on new productions of The Makropulo Case (2009), Iolanta (2004) and Der Schatzgräber (2012) (‘The Treasure Hunter’). Following his DNO debut in Falstaff, conductor Daniele Gatti will be returning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, of which he is now the principal conductor. Malin Byström will be making her debut in Amsterdam as Salome, while Doris Soffel (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Die Frau ohne Schatten and Salome) will be portraying Herodias.

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Credits

music Richard Strauss libretto Richard Strauss after Oscar Wilde musical direction Daniele Gatti direction Ivo van Hove set, light Jan Versweyveld costumes An d’Huys orchestra Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra cast Lance Ryan (Herodes), Doris Soffel (Herodias), Malin Byström (Salome), Evgeny Nikitin (Jochanaan), Benjamin Bernheim (Narraboth), Hanna Hipp (Ein Page der Herodias), Dietmar Kerschbaum (Fünf Juden), Thomas Ebenstein (Fünf Juden), Mark Omvlee (Fünf Juden), Marcel Beekman (Fünf Juden), Alexander Vassiliev (Fünf Juden), James Creswell (Zwei Nazarener), Roger Smeets (Zwei Nazarener) music performed by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra production Dutch National Opera

This performance is made possible by