SALOME
Richard Strauss
Composer Richard Strauss. Libretto by the composer.
Musical drama in one act based on Oscar Wilde's poem of the same title (1905)recommended for 16 years and older
In German. With German and English surtitles.
Duration est. 1 hours 45 minutes
"The secret of love is greater than the secret of death" (Salome)
"How beautiful Princess Salome is tonight!". Oscar Wilde's French drama, arranged as opera text by the composer himself, was a stroke of genius of the fin de siècle, a scandal on one hand and an absolute hit on the other, both an artistic and a financial success which allowed Richard Strauss to buy his villa in Garmisch. Salome demands the head of the prophet, John the Baptist, who has rejected her, from her lustful stepfather – and bound by an oath, he cannot deny her. And so the zealous admonisher dies, and with him the princess is undone – "Kill this woman!". Krzysztof Warlikowski is convinced that Salome recounts many of the contradictions of the period of origin, that in this piece, however, much is also dismissed of that which at the time was still the future: "It's not just what's in the work of art itself that is important, whether it be Oscar Wilde or Richard Strauss, but rather the whole context, which Christianity and the history of the 20th century add to this piece."
Salome (Plakat)
Salome (Programm)