DESCRIPTION:
Germany
English.
French.
Spanish
China.
Director: Götz Friedrich
Writers: Oscar Wilde (based on the play by), Hedwig Lachmann (translation: German)
Stars: Teresa Stratas, Hans Beirer, Astrid Varnay |
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A stunning performance of the Strauss opera. Stratas is one of the great actresses of the operatic stage, and one of the few petite enough to play a physically convincing Salome. She can seem like a child on stage, and of how many divas can you say that? This, like "Lulu," is an opera the lady simply owns. The production exudes sex (the John the Baptist is pretty hot too, which helps a lot), and it's very faithful to the spirit of the original, with a Beardsley-esqe quality to the production design that is NOT, however, cartoonish. If you happen to like the opera in the first place, this is satisfying in every way, on every level. If the opera leaves you cold, well, even then you have to admit that they've done it proud.