On June 18 and 20, the Cincinnati Opera is set to present Strauss’ “Salome.” The company will present the work at the historic Music Hall featuring soprano Kathryn Lewek, in her title role debut. She will be joined by tenor Chad Shelton as Herod, bass-baritone Alfred Walker as Jochanaan, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung as Herodias, and tenor Zach Borichevsky as Narraboth. Robert {…}
(Photo: A Zeltina) “Salome” undoubtedly stands as one of the most significant works in the history of German opera. The elements Wagner outlined in his works reached Strauss as a direct torrent of influence, and it is precisely in “Salome” where Strauss finally finds—after “Guntram” and “Feuersnot”—a personal, absolute, and unmistakably original musical language. I have always perceived in “Salome” {…}
West Bay Opera is set to perform Richard Strauss’s “Salome” at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto in February 2026. The opera will star soprano Joanna Parisi in the title role of Salome, marking her role debut, Nathaniel Sullivan as Jochanaan, and Alex Boyer as Herod. The production will be conducted by José Luis Moscovich. The cast will be {…}
A new recording of “Salome” will be made by Alex Prior, conducting the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería. The recording will be made at the Estudios Churubusco in Mexico City. Parallel to the recording, there will be a documentary made that will follow the process of the recording from the sonoral conception to work with the singers and the orchestra. The {…}
(Photo by Alexis Dubus) The UK’s Regents Opera is set to return to York Hall in 2026 with a new staging of Richard Strauss’ “Salome.” The production will be conducted by Artistic Director Ben Woodward and directed by playwright and director Mark Ravenhill, who sets it in the historic East End boxing venue. “After the monumental scale of the Ring {…}
(Photo: K. Mystkowski) Now in its third year, the Baltic Opera Festival is hitting its stride, with founder and leading baritone Tomasz Konieczny omnipresent—tending to last-minute details and overseeing a courteous and attentive staff. The performances take place at the Forest Opera in Sopot, a seaside resort north of Gdańsk on the Polish Baltic coast. For many international opera lovers, {…}
(Photos: Paul Leclaire) Opernhaus Zürich revives its 2021 production of Richard Strauss’s “Salome,” directed by Andreas Homoki. The striking set design by Hartmut Meyer features two massive, crescent-shaped rotating structures—an evident nod to the libretto’s many references to the moon. One of these structures serves as a raked stage representing the terrace of Herod’s palace, while the other hovers above {…}
(Credit: Evan Zimmerman / Met Opera) On April 28, 2025, the Metropolitan Opera opened a new production of Strauss’ “Salome.” At the center of the highly anticipated performance was the debut of internationally-renowned director Claus Guth, who has built a name of edgy reimaginings of classic works. It was also the first new production of “Salome” at the Met since {…}
(Credit: Evan Zimmerman / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera’s 2024–25 Live in HD season is set to continue with a new production of Strauss’ “Salome.” The transmission will be held on May 17, 2025 with soprano Elza van den Heever starring in the title role, alongside baritone Peter Mattei as Jochanaan. They will be joined by mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung as Herodias, alongside tenor Gerhard Siegel as {…}
(Credit: Michele Monasta) On April 13, Strauss’ “Salome” will open at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in a new production by Emma Dante and will be broadcast on Rai 5 and Rai Radio 3. The production will open the 87th Festival of teh Maggio Musicale and will be conducted by Alexander Soddy. Lidia Fridman will sing the title role in her {…}
(Picture Credit @Wonge Bergmann) What happens when opera is pushed to the far reaches of the socially acceptable, artistically expected, narratively conventional, and formally structured? You end up with controversial productions, reconstructed variations of well-known stories, and strange configurations of unknown ones. One may remember what happened not so long ago with Stutgart’s “Sancta Susanna” or, longer ago, Adams’ “The {…}