Salome

Richard Strauss's voluptuously decadent 1905 opera, based on the biblical story of the beheading of John the Baptist due to the machinations of King Herod's seductive stepdaughter, receives a curiously flat reading in this 2011 mounting from the Baden-Baden Festival. Nikolaus Lehnhoff's production showcases a vaguely abstract set, modern costumes, and contemporary props (including automatic rifles for the tetrarch's guards); but the more serious weakness is musical. Stefan Soltesz's conducting is overly restrained, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin sounds bland, although some of the problem might lie in the recording, as the music is too often kept in the background. While Kim Begley makes a fine Herodes, Doris Soffel an impressive Herodias, and Alan Held an imposing Jochanaan, Angela Denoke disappoints as the title character, with singing that alternates between shrill and pallid (she also looks too old for the role and her pale pink cocktail dress and pixie haircut seem out of place). The combination of a weak orchestra and a miscast Salome—along with Lehnhoff's mediocre staging—makes even the Dance of the Seven Veils, usually a show-stopper, a letdown. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.0 (DTS-HD 5.0 on the Blu-ray release) and PCM stereo, this production pales in comparison to other versions (see VL-5/06 and VL-3/09). Not a necessary purchase. (F. Swietek)