Richard Strauss I Salome

17/09/23, 19:00

The girl is dancing. One by one, in sensual movement, her seven veils fall to the ground. She dances to please King Herod, and she only wants one thing in return. The head of the man she loves. If he does not want to return her love, Salome longs at least for the kiss of his dead mouth…

Expressive, short and shocking, that's how Strauss's opera Salome based on the play by Oscar Wilde could be briefly described. The story inspired by the Bible about the lovely Salome, daughter of King Herod, and her obsessive love for the prophet Jochanaan really caused quite a scandal when it premiered.

At the same time, the work, full of powerful, dramatic music and rich orchestral colors, became a worldwide sensation and continues to be so today. The moment when Salome brings Jochanaan's head on a silver platter and kisses it still belongs to the top ten of TOP operatic horrors. And the extremely demanding role of Salome belongs to the dreams and touchstones of sopranos. Salome will see only its fourth production in the Brno theater and its creator will be none other than one of the best Czech directors, David Radok. After the great production of Britten's Peter Grimes in the 2021/22 season, he is returning together with his team, chief conductor Marko Ivanović, costume designer Zuzana Ježková and, newly, Dragan Stojčevski as set designer for the fifth time directing our opera company. As with the world premiere, this time it will be a sensation!