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 Depicting
the World of Immorality and Sensuous Pleasure. R. Strauss’s
Ambitious Work That Astonished the World
Due to its scandalous subject matter, Salome shocked Europe
when it was first performed in Dresden, in 1905. The scene
of Salome kissing the freshly severed head and extraordinarily
tense music were so new and sensuous that the opera was
prohibited from being performed in various cities, making
the name of Richard Strauss known to the world with a peculiar
ring. The one-act opera using a German translation of the
play of the same name by Oscar Wilde as a libretto without
changing its content is filled with rich and sweet melodies
as well as daring discords. The challenging title role of
Salome, which requires considerable skill to sing, act and
dance the famous Dance of Seven Veils, will be played by
Eva Johansson, who created a sensation when she made her
debut at the Frankfurt Opera as Salome in 2001. The repeat
production of Salome at the New National Theatre, Tokyo
is based on the famous version directed by August Everding,
a great master in the field of German operatic direction,
which has been performed at the Bayerische Staatsoper. The
aesthetic stage setting and costumes, as well as impeccable
stage direction, will more than do justice to the highly
sensuous beauty of the work.
Synopsis
The setting is King Herod’s palace in Jerusalem around
30 A.D. Salome, daughter-in-law of Herod, who wins his favor,
takes interest in Jochanaan (John the Baptist), who is imprisoned
in the cistern in the courtyard, and orders Narraboth, captain
of the guard, to bring him out for her to see him. She tries
to make advances to him, but he repels them and accuses
her mother Herodias for the sins she has committed and is
taken back to the cistern. Asked by Herod to dance on condition
that he will grant her whatever she desires, Salome puts
on seven veils over her naked body and dances a bewitching
dance. After her Dance of Seven Veils, she demands the head
of Jochanaan.
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