The Polish National Opera is set to debut its new production of Richard Strauss’s “Salome.”

The one-act music drama will be performed in a production by Claus Guth, who approaches the biblical story as a multilayered psychological tale of obsession, desire, and the search for one’s voice.

Developed in collaboration with Teatro Real Madrid, Guth’s “Salome” opens in Warsaw on Nov. 22, 2026.

Yoel Gamzou will conduct his first new production as the music director of the Polish National Opera alongside a cast that includes Gerhard Siegel, Nadine Lehner, Monika Radecka, Tomasz Konieczny, and Granit Musliu.

In a statement Guth said, “In my version there is a sort of a happy ending. Herod’s final sentence, ‘Kill that woman,’ is not carried out. In the end, this closed, dark world opens, and Salome steps into a future. What I want to say is that there is a chance to find your own way and free yourself from all the influences, no matter how traumatic.”

Gamzou added, “I have always admired Strauss for being one of the greatest theatrical composers that ever lived. Up there with Mozart, Puccini and Bernstein’s West Side Story, I think Salome is probably the most perfect piece of music-theatre ever composed. The orchestra is the main character in the score, and every note is there not just to illustrate or decorate, but to drive the plot forward. Every instrument has an emotion, a character, a reason to tell a story like the singers on stage. Strauss came from Wagner’s leitmotif tradition (where every character had their own musical theme) and took it a step further – every mood, every emotion has its leitmotif. Ever since Salome, one of the shortest and most captivating, fast-paced operas ever written, composers aspire to the ‘Salome 100 minutes’ – the perfect duration for a thrilling piece of music-theatre.”

“Salome” will be performed through Dec. 13, 2026.