Salome is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by the composer, based on Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of the French play Salomé by Oscar Wilde.
The opera is famous (at the time of its premiere, infamous) for its Dance of the Seven Veils. It is now better known for the more shocking final scene (often a concert-piece for dramatic sopranos), where Salome declares her love to the severed head of John the Baptist.
It wa...
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Salome is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by the composer, based on Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of the French play Salomé by Oscar Wilde.
The opera is famous (at the time of its premiere, infamous) for its Dance of the Seven Veils. It is now better known for the more shocking final scene (often a concert-piece for dramatic sopranos), where Salome declares her love to the severed head of John the Baptist.
It was first performed at the Hofoper in Dresden on December 9, 1905. Salome is a well-established part of the operatic repertoire; there are numerous recordings of it. Strauss dedicated the opera to his friend Sir Edgar Speyer.
A great terrace in the Palace of Herod, set above the banqueting-hall. Some soldiers are leaning over the balcony. To the right there is a gigantic staircase, to the left, at the back, an old cistern surrounded by a wall of green bronze. The moon is shining very brightly.
Narraboth gazes from a terrace in Herod's palace...
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