Salome (opera) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Salome |
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| by Richard Strauss | |
1910 poster by Ludwig Hohlwein
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| Librettist | Oscar Wilde (Hedwig Lachmann's German translation of the French play Salomé, edited by Richard Strauss) |
| Language | German |
| Premiere | 9 December 1905: Königliches Opernhaus, Dresden |
Salome is a short opera by Richard Strauss. It is based on the Biblical story of Salome, Herod and John the Baptist.
The original play Salomé was written by Oscar Wilde in November and December 1891 in French. Hedwig Lachmann translated the play into German. Richard Strauss saw the play and decided in 1902 to make an opera out of it. The opera was first performed in Dresden in December 1905. "The Dance of the Seven Veils" is a famous excerpt from the opera. It is sometimes performed in concerts.
The opera was very successful; Strauss made so much money with Salome that he could afford to buy a beautiful house in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The opera also caused a long-lasting scandal after it was first produced in Dresden. At the Vienna Court Opera the work could not be performed for nearly twenty years because of censorship, at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden the opera had to be modified, in New York there was only one performance - then the wealthy donors of the Metropolitan Opera decided that this opera was not suitable for the American public.
Principal characters
- Salome, a very young and very beautiful princess - soprano
- Herodes, king of Judaea, her stepfather - tenor
- Herodias, queen, mother of Salome - mezzo-soprano
- Jochanaan, also known as John the Baptist - bass-baritone
Images for kids
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1905 Dresden premier poster
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Karl Perron as Jochanaan in the Dresden performances, 1907
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Alice Guszalewicz as Salome. For many years, this photo was thought to be of Oscar Wilde himself in costume.
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Leitmotif associated with Salome herself
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Leitmotif associated with Jochanaan or prophecy
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Dissonant chord near the end of the opera, marked sfz in this piano reduction
See also
In Spanish: Salomé (ópera) para niños
