Dance for me!
Salome
Richard Strauss
Last Chance
Long before Oscar Wilde’s interpretation, the figure of Salome already appeared in the Bible. There, the story was about how King Herod, his stepdaughter Salome, and John the Baptist (Jochanaan) each lose their heads—although in very different ways...
King Herod has his eyes set on his stepdaughter, Salome. She, in turn, recoils from his improper glances and has her own sights set on another man: the imprisoned prophet Jochanaan, who refuses to even look at her. Herod commands Salome to dance for him, as he wants to see her completely—without veils. The Dance of the Seven Veils becomes the pivotal moment, with Salome exposing herself to the gaze of the king and his reveling guests. But for this dance, she demands from Herod an extraordinary reward: ‘The head of Jochanaan!’ Thus unfolds a tragedy of gazes, until the very last glance.
King Herod has his eyes set on his stepdaughter, Salome. She, in turn, recoils from his improper glances and has her own sights set on another man: the imprisoned prophet Jochanaan, who refuses to even look at her. Herod commands Salome to dance for him, as he wants to see her completely—without veils. The Dance of the Seven Veils becomes the pivotal moment, with Salome exposing herself to the gaze of the king and his reveling guests. But for this dance, she demands from Herod an extraordinary reward: ‘The head of Jochanaan!’ Thus unfolds a tragedy of gazes, until the very last glance.
Seeing and not seeing are integral to the erotic game: ‘Never will you see me where I see you’. This truism of love encapsulates the tragedy of unbridled desire—one that is never truly fulfilled and always ends in want. Each character in Salome fails to connect, and perishes. It’s no wonder that the composer Richard Strauss called his work ‘a scherzo with a fatal outcome’.
Director Evgeny Titov puts the construction of erotic fantasies at the heart of his production. Projections and counterprojections chase and elude each other, with voyeurism and exhibitionism entwined in a repressed sexuality caught between desire and prohibition, ecstasy and death. As they did with George Enescu’s Œdipe, the creative team once again delves into an ancient question: How does guilt arise?
Princess Salome is beautiful – as virtually everyone at the court of the Tetrarch Herod knows. While Herod and his wife Herodias are inside the palace at a feast, on the terrace the Syrian captain Narraboth can’t stop rhapsodising about the princess. The page of Salome’s mother Herodias warns him in no uncertain terms that something terrible may happen if he looks at her too much.
Suddenly a voice is heard from the cistern. A soldier says that the prisoner is a prophet. Shortly afterwards, Salome enters – disturbed by the way Herod has been staring at her and bored by the conversation at the banquet. When the prophet calls out again, Salome learns his name: Jokanaan. Fascinated by his voice, she declares she wants to see him, but Narraboth doesn’t comply with her wishes because he has sworn to Herod not to let Jokanaan out. Yet Salome deploys her arts of seduction, and gets what she wants. From the moment she sees the prisoner, she becomes instantly obsessed – by his voice, his skin, his body, his hair and his mouth. But Jokanaan rejects her, curses her, and returns to his cistern.
Suddenly a voice is heard from the cistern. A soldier says that the prisoner is a prophet. Shortly afterwards, Salome enters – disturbed by the way Herod has been staring at her and bored by the conversation at the banquet. When the prophet calls out again, Salome learns his name: Jokanaan. Fascinated by his voice, she declares she wants to see him, but Narraboth doesn’t comply with her wishes because he has sworn to Herod not to let Jokanaan out. Yet Salome deploys her arts of seduction, and gets what she wants. From the moment she sees the prisoner, she becomes instantly obsessed – by his voice, his skin, his body, his hair and his mouth. But Jokanaan rejects her, curses her, and returns to his cistern.
Herod comes looking for Salome and fnds her on the terrace. He steps in blood and discovers that Narraboth has killed himself. This intermezzo doesn’t distract his attention from Salome for long. His wife Herodias finds it hard to bear Herod gazing lustfully at her daughter. Some time later, Jokanaan’s voice is heard again, setting off a religious dispute among the Jews and Nazarenes. At long last, Herod can turn his attention to Salome once more. He asks her to dance for him: in return she can have anything she desires. He swears an oath on what he has promised.
After Salome’s dance, Herod wishes to be as good as his word and asks the princess what she wants. She demands the head of Jokanaan on a silver dish! Shocked by his stepdaughter’s gruesome wish, Herod begs her: he will give Salome anything, just not Jokanaan’s head. But Salome is adamant; she desires nothing more. The order is given, Jokanaan is beheaded, and Salome throws herself upon her reward ecstatically. Finally she can kiss Jokanaan’s mouth. Horrifed by his stepdaughter’s deranged state, Herod commands: »Kill that woman!«
Musical drama in one act [1905]
Libretto by the composer
based on Oscar Wilde’s eponymous play
translated into German by Hedwig Lachmann
Libretto by the composer
based on Oscar Wilde’s eponymous play
translated into German by Hedwig Lachmann
Premiere on November 22, 2025
Recommended from grade 10
German
1hr 50min, no intermission
30 minutes before each performance there is an introduction to the play in the foyer (except before premieres, children's operas, concert performances, New Year's Eve and special events)