Event Description

Strauss' opera based on Oscar Wilde's tragedy. A decadent kingdom. A holy prophet. Wild infatuation. Extreme emotion. Biblical history and 20th-century psychology merge in Strauss's unforgettable drama. Salome is a Judean princess, step-daughter of King Herod. Jokanaan (John the Baptist) is the prophet imprisoned for denouncing Herod's depravity. Salome becomes obsessed with Jokanaan and when Herod, himself fixated on Salome, asks her to dance for him, Salome demands Jokanaan's head as her price. Strauss's study of obsession under a strange moon is a giant and haunting work, intense and gripping from beginning to end. This is music and drama for those who like their opera strong, realized in a vividly modern production. In German with English surtitles.