(photo by Andrew Boyle)
It's been a decade since we saw a production of Richard Strauss' Salome in Santa Fe. Director Daniel Slater set it in the period in which it was written, giving it a strong Freudian interpretation. The petite soprano Alex Penda was convincing as a willful teenage girl suffering the consequences of a traumatic childhood. It was an unforgettable evening. Our only other exposure to the opera was a couple years earlier at the Metropolitan Opera and all we can remember was a rather confusing production and a surprisingly effective (and shocking) Dance of the Seven Veils by the superb soprano Karita Mattila. who stunned us by the power, range, and lyricism of her voice.
Last night we attended an English language presentation of the opera by Heartbeat Opera, reputed for its original takes on the classics. It was well worth the trip to Brooklyn and the lengthy climb upstairs, both for its original musical take and for its riveting dramatic impact. Before sharing the details of this worthy production, we would like to muse a bit on the psychohistorical aspect of the story as it transmogrified through the centuries in response to cultural norms.
As reported by Plutarch, the elder Seneca, a Roman historian and Senator, was the first to make reference to such a depraved beheading preceded by a dance. In the Bible, the Gospels of Matthew and Mark make reference to an unnamed girl, used as a tool of vengeance by her mother to end the life of John the Baptist. John's strength of character is contrasted with Herod’s spiritual and moral weakness. and the mystical ascetic John is portrayed as the precursor of the coming Jesus.
As the reputation of John the Baptist grew in the centuries after the death of Christ, so did the myth of Salome’s evil. The story was used to illustrate the need to resist sexual temptations and the potential spiritual risks created by the diversion of dancing. This anti-feminine emphasis was to endure for quite a long time.
In the late nineteenth century, and throughout the twentieth century, the myth has been refigured time and time again, pointing to a peculiar fascination with the way sex and power intersect in the drama. Oscar Wilde's play (which he never got to see due to being imprisoned for the crime of homosexuality) was important in making Salome a creature with desires of her own. She is elevated to more than merely her mother’s pawn, becoming the autonomous agent of John's death From the nameless dancer in the Bible story she has become the focus of the drama, whose actions symbolise the sexual power of modern woman.
Richard Strauss, composing under the influence of Freudian theory, was undoubtedly taken by the duality of Thanatos and Eros. It is Salome's erotic drive that leads to her death. And so, after this brief bit of rambling, we come to the production of the opera by Heartbeat Opera, renowned for revising and reinterpreting the classics. In this pared down version, Director Elizabeth Dinkova has focused on the central characters with extraneous characters and the arguing Jews confined to a video screen and deprived of voices.
Captain Narraboth (David Morgans) lusts after Salome (Summer Hassan). He dies, by his own hand (pistol subbing for the dagger). Salome lusts after Jokanaan (Nathaniel Sullivan). She dies at the hands of her uncle/step-father Herod (Patrick Cook). Actually, in this version, everyone dies, including Herodias (Manna K. Jones) shot by a character known as the Page (Melina Jaharis). We are not sure whether the soldier (Jeremy Harr) survives. We might add that the cast was uniformly excellent, not only by virtue of strong voices but also by impactful acting.
Although we much prefer the opera sung in German, we can see the merit of using an English translation (from English National Opera). In our opinion, it is not for the benefit of the audience, who definitely need titles to understand the words in the upper register, whether the opera is sung in English or German. Rather it benefits the singers who are able to connect more to the text. Admittedly, this production lacked nothing in terms of immediacy.
The cast was pared down to seven and Strauss' humungous orchestra was pared down to 8 clarinets (yes, you read that right) and two very hard-working percussionists. Did Maestro Dan Schlosberg's reduction/arrangement work? We thought it worked splendidly, employing clarinets of every register with an assist from a recorder, saxophone, and an electric guitar. All were utilized to heighten the action and effectively distinguished the varying colors of each character. We are quite sure that Music Director Jacob Ashworth had a major part in arranging the score.
Ms. Dinkova's direction excelled at storytelling and Emona Stoykova's set heightened the storytelling. Jokanaan was imprisoned in a glass cage center stage. The band of clarinets were placed on one side of a square, with a bank of video monitors on the facing side. Audience members sat on the two remaining opposing sides; the singers did a good job of giving both sides equal opportunity, which is not always the case.
We were grateful for Nicholas Betson's titles. Mika Eubanks' costumes were mostly apt, although poor Ms. Hassan looked stuffed into an unusual get up with a fluffy skirt of pink tulle.
And now, Dear Reader, we know you are dying to hear about the shocking Dance of Seven Veils. Well, you must go and see for yourself. We guarantee you will be shocked! There will be another week of performances which you can see on the Heartbeat Opera website.
© meche kroop
Do we need to mention that AI was not utilized in our writing and never will be?
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