The Met’s new production of Strauss’s Mach 2 one-act opera was telecast today. Director Claus Guth, who made his Met debut in this production, placed the location in a dark building in some hard to place time. It certainly wasn’t biblical Galilee or Perea.
Before I get to the performance, a word about inflation. Up to 1958, a one-act opera was not considered sufficient for an evening at the Met. Salome was paired with another one-acter, typically Gianni Schicchi or occasionally with a ballet. Starting in 1962, the price of a ticket went up, and Salome was the only work on the bill. The combination of Schicchi and Salome must have set all-time records for cognitive dissonance.
Back to today’s show. Guth’s conceit was to explain Salome’s murderous sexuality by depicting her as the victim of sexual abuse from her childhood to the present. The Freudian feat was accomplished by adding six additional Salomes to the cast at ages from early childhood to maturity. I don’t think her behavior needs an explanation. She is what she is – a wacked out teenager.
Strauss built his opera on a German translation of Oscar Wilde’s play, written in French. He then cut about half of the text, focusing on the elements he felt critical to his opera. He felt no need to explain Salome’s motivation. His music here and in his next opera, Elektra, pushes the boundary of audience acceptance to ambiguous tonality and dissonance to the limit. It is no wonder that he followed these two with Der Rosenkavalier.
There were a lot of extraneous events cluttering the show. Herod entered wearing a goat’s head. There were other people wearing animal heads. I don’t know who they were or why they wore them. There was a young woman wearing a bra and panties who was held aloft at the back of the stage Apparently, she was nude during the non-televised performances. There were projections that were in keeping with Herod’s delusional thinking.
None of Guth’s conceits was disqualifying except for one. There was no ‘Dance of the Seven Veils’. Each of the young Salomes appeared during the music, acting out the various stages of abuse Salome was said to have endured. The last killed the abuser who, like Herod, was wearing a Goat head, presumably identifying Herod as the culprit. This gimmick relieved Salome of having to dance. She also didn’t die after Herod ordered he execution, she just walked to the back of the stage.
Guth’s directorial wandering did not detract much from the performance because the cast was so good. The title role is one of the most demanding in all of opera. Elza van den Heever’s singing was triumphant. She has all the notes with much in reserve. Some observers mentioned that her lowest notes were not quite up to the standard of the rest of her range. I noticed no problem with the totality of her range. She also acted the role convincingly – a feat for a large woman in her mid-forties playing a 16-year-old.
The subject of Salome’s perverse desire, Jochanaan (John the Baptist), was well played by Peter Mattei. He was coated in white powder and tethered by a long chain. He seemed tempted to yield to Salome’s advances, using all his devout willpower to resist her erotic advances. All that he lacked was a little darker sound.
Herod is one of the great character tenor roles in the repertory. Gerhard Siegel was quite effective as the slimy Tetrarch. A little more oiliness would have added to his portrayal. He seemed to be suffering from angina as the action proceeded, clutching his chest whenever agitated. This likely explains his collapse at the final curtain. He dies of a heart attack.
Piotr Buszewski was convincing as the love-struck Narraboth. It’s hard to say whether his death was accidental or suicidal. He was impaled on a piece of metal held by Salome. This ambiguity is a directorial error. Naraboth’s death by suicide just from watching Salome’s lewd advances to Jochanaan is in keeping with Wilde’s florid symbolism.
Michelle DeYoung had little to do but discourage and then encourage Salome. Her red gown and headdress seemed out of place with the black and white theme that characterized the rest of the action. Vocally she was fine. The rest of the cast was all first rate.
This leaves the orchestra. It’s as important as Salome. The Met’s band played with consummate virtuosity. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting, while quite good, was a bit on the languid side. This was most apparent in the piece for the five Jews. Strauss’s setting of a religious dispute is one of opera’s miracles. Nézet-Sequin’s pace was too slow to realize the brilliance Strauss put into the piece.
Gary Halvorson’s video direction was unobtrusive, which means it was good. When you don’t notice the video direction, it’s done the right way.
In summary, the extraordinary performance by Elza van den Heever warrants a trip to the encore performance if you missed today’s telecast. The rest of the cast gave her exemplary support.
Salome
Richard Strauss | Oscar Wilde
Salome……….Elza van den Heever
Herod……….Gerhard Siegel
Herodias……….Michelle DeYoung
Jochanaan……….Peter Mattei
Narraboth……….Piotr Buszewski
Page……….Tamara Mumford
Jew……….Bille Bruley
Jew……….Thomas Capobianco
Jew……….Alex Boyer
Jew……….Bernard Holcomb
Jew……….Robert Pomakov
Nazarene……….Le Bu
Nazarene……….Yeongtaek Yang
Soldier……….Harold Wilson
Soldier……….Richard Bernstein
Cappadocian……….Jeongcheol Cha
Slave……….Scott Scully
Child Salome……….Manon Fleur Antonio
Child Salome……….Kate Lellos Doherty
Child Salome……….Hardy
Child Salome……….Vienna Judith Martinez
Child Salome……….Willow McConnaughy
Child Salome……….Louisa Pancoast
Herod’s Double……….Devin Richey
Conductor……….Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Production……….Claus Guth
Set Designer……….Etienne Pluss
Costume Designer……….Ursula Kudrna
Lighting Designer……….Olaf Freese
Projection Designer……….rocafilm
Projection Designer……….Roland Horvath
Choreographer……….Somme Ulrickson
Dramaturg……….Yvonne Gebauer
Video Director……….Gary Halvorson
