Customer Reviews

Strauss - Salome / Jessye Norman · Morris · Witt · Raffeiner · Leech · Staatskapelle Dresden · Ozawa

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a big fan of Richard Strauss's tone poems, and thus the opening bars of this recording thrilled me to bits because what I heard were the magical, authentically Straussian tones of the great Dresden Staatskapelle - the orchestra which has the most intimate associations with the composer himself. But thereafter the thrill gradually fades away. Simply having the premier Richard Strauss orchestra in a Strauss opera recording is no barometer of ultimate success when the conductor and most of the cast are not up to the task. It is wonderful to hear the magisterial voices of Ms Norman and Mr Morris in the important roles, but their efforts are seriously undermined by the poor casting in the smaller, but vital roles, and by the inappropriate direction of Ozawa. Instead of offering a superbly played music drama to rival great versions by Sinopoli and Solti, Ozawa treats this score as if it were a Tchaikovsky ballet (with a severed head instead, no doubt). The only outstanding part of this recording which overtakes its other rivals is in the passage where Salome holds up John's head. Here, the great Dresden Staatkapelle revealed the dance elements in the bars following this moment. No other CD version had revealed this insight to me before. A startling moment of orchestral playing.

However, that is just about all. Ultimately, this is a recording which promised much on paper, but failed to deliver the goods. All fluff and no bite. However great Norman here is, she cannot do much to save this opera set when everything else is collapsing around her.

I'm sure there are many much worse recordings of Salome, but for sheer disappointment, this one is hard to beat. I've listened to five Salomes in the last two weeks, and this one is so bad it's embarrassing. The cast is utterly wrong, except for the excellent James Morris (but I'm prejudiced, because I saw him perform Jochanaan at Santa Fe). The orchestra is listless and muddy. The Herod and Herodias don't do much except contribute noise.

But worst, and most unforgivable, is the "casting" of Jessye Norman as Salome. Not only is her voice itself wrong (she comes across as a mature Turandot, not an out-of-control nymphet), but her interpretation of Salome is completely superficial and wrong-headed. Playing Salome as a nasty adult decadent is to miss every justifiable interpretation of the operatic role, however faithful it may be to Wilde's misogynistic fantasy.

What is unforgivable is that there are hints all over this recording that it was a vanity piece. What could Philips have owed Norman, that they would finance this abomination? There is the vanity of the casting, with a stable of non-entities backing up the Divine Ms. N and her Carmenesque voice assigned a role she is no more suitable for than she would be to sing Chinese opera. There is the telling note at the end of the "think piece" on the opera indicating that it was "edited" by Ms. Norman. It is without competition the worst essay on Salome I have ever read, missing most of the point, dwelling on Wilde's nastiness, and reducing the entire body of visual art on Salome (neither Norman nor the writer she is "editing" seem to be aware that there is a vast body of painting that depicts Salome as horrified once she sees what she has done) to Moreau's decadent surrealism (the cover photo is actually an arch reference to Moreau's Salome, I think).

As a sanity check and bit of charity, I listened to the great monologue before posting this. No. Even this she doesn't pull off. She delivers "Ach, warum (Why would you not look at me?)" as if she were asking him why he chose that particular tie. Norman does not get it. There is nothing to recommend in this recording; you could do better picking another at random. If you want a recommendation: Nilsson, Rysanek, Studer, Inga Neilson -- all excellent in their way, and Ljuba Welitsch if you can find one.

As I was listening, I noticed that WinAmp, for some inexplicable reason, thinks the CD is Eva Marton with Zubin Mehta and the Berlin Philharmonic. I wish!

Yes, Norman produces gallons of wonderful, jaw-dropping, voluminous tone and her technique, range, and German language-familiarity are welcome also. She's the kind of listener who can command attention and one we want to listen to; nevertheless, it sounds more like Elektra than Salome to me. When is she going to undertake Brunnhilde, by the way?
Ozawa's conducting is straightfoward with good attention to detail but somewhat neutral rhythmically.
The cast is capable with the exception of the Herod (Walter Raffeiner) who speaks, moans, grunts, and shouts more than he does sing. If his voice were prettier, it might be more listenable, but it's ugly, strained, and imperfectly controlled. He, in fact, makes a singer like Gerhard Stoltz who is famous for sprechstimme and campy performances sound like vocal gold by comparison. (Stolz can be heard as Herod on Solti's set with Nilsson.) James Morris as Jokanaan and Richard Leech as Narraboth make vivid and pleasing additions to the cast, but the rest (Dresden regulars) are just adequate--they don't shame the performance, but they sure aren't world class either.
The three star rating is mostly for Norman's contribution.

I own a few recordings of this opera. One I hate is the recording with Hildegard Berhens (though I respect her as an artist, and she is a vivid performer on stage, I find her not the most pleasing to listen to on record). One I thought was great (Caballe singing Salome). And a number that simply did nothing for me. This one, however, I loved. True, Jessye Norman doesn't sound like a young teenager (however, I doubt she ever did, even when she was one). Her voice is too grand in many ways, too majestic, too confident. Well, I guess anyone who has the ability to stand their ground against the offers of everything Herod says he will give her simply for a man's head must have some confidence. Her voice, though perhaps not "youthful" enough is not unpleasant at all. It sores, it overpowers, it gives full breath to the drama. Now that brings us to the reason I gave this recording only 4 stars. Her performance is everything one would expect, and maybe even more. It is the other singers who ruin the performance, and destroy the atmosphere. Most of the minor roles are well sung. Richard Leech is wonderful in his role, and his legato line is perfect. James Morris is also wonderful, and authoritive. In many ways he sounds more a Wotan than a prophet, but prophets are supposed to be close to God, so I guess that is fine. The draw backs are the singers who sing the parts of Herod, and Herodias. Walter Raffeiner disappoints. Yes, he is forceful, even ardent, but he doesn't sing a note of this opera. I actually had to take score in hand, go to the piano, to see if his "barking" was remotely on pitch. Odd thing, it was. There was simply no musicality to it at all. I am not sure if that is what Strauss was expecting, but for me it was not the most pleasant of performances to listen to, though it was in its way very engaging. Kerstin Witt, the Herodias, well, that is a different matter. She was shrill, strident, screechy, and weak. Salome's mother actually encourages the girl in her "misdeeds." Witt didn't sound old enough to be Jessye Norman's mother, or even baby sister. That is where we have some really bad casting happening. It seems to have happened in a lot of Norman's recording, example: Lohengin. The evil mezzo is so lightweight in sound, so shrill, there is no reason to fear her or her "evil character." To contrast Norman, one needs an extremely dark, "evil" sounding voice, one that commands, sounds adult, and with a most diabolical agenda. This lady sounds too little, too young, and more like a screaming infant than an evil hateful queen. Again her sound is not pretty, and it is not really sung. It would be nice to hear German opera, especially 20th century opera, and actually hear it sung. That horrible speak-singing that developed as a way of "making the words more noticeable" really ruins the musical aspect of the entire piece. It also makes the music sound strained. Salome is a very lirical score, in spite of its heavy orchestration. It is filled with melody. Screaming, and barking, do nothing to help a listener come to understand that truth. As for the conducting, Ozawa does breathe life into the work, and gives Salome's utterances depth. I am sure if the other singers were really singing, we would find a different depth of support to their words similar to what we find with Norman. The energy is there, the sensuousness of Salome's dance drips like rain. Yes, this recording is excellent, even considering those afore mentioned flaws. Personally, I think it is worth the money, even if you aren't a Jessye Norman fan. (and to the reviewer who asked when Norman would do Brunhilde, great question, she did record the Immolation scene, has sung Sieglinde, but never Brunhilde; I would love to see that; She can actually trill, so for once one would, maybe, hear those trills in the Walkure war cry that are never sung)

In order to appreciate this most rare recording of Strauss' Salome, one has to follow the career of dramatic soprano Jessye Norman and be a devoted fan. While I am myself not a hardcore fan I have enjoyed Jessye Norman in various roles - her Sieglende from Wagner's DieWalkure reigns supreme and is in the level of her worthy predecessor Leonye Rysanek, her Leonore from Fidelio is a revelation in music, and her Ariadne from Ariadne of Naxos is sensational. All these are his greatest roles but Jessye Norman was also a major recitalist (Brahms Lieder, Strauss' Four Last Songs) and exponent of Spirituals, Gospels, and 20th century music. Blessed with a superhuman and powerful voice, it must have been easy for her to take on the same roles that Birgit Nilsson sang - Isolde, Brunhilde- or the traditional Italian diva roles- Tosca, Norma, Turandot. But Jessye Norman was if anything, the anti-diva in comparison to Leontyne Price or Grace Bumbry. Jessye Norman LOVED to sing roles no one else would really sing.

Her Salome on this recording is a perfect vehicle for her dramatic, dark voice. If you can get past the issue people have with interpreting Salome as a young girl with an equally youthful voice this is still a hair-raising and thrilling Salome. She is majestic and noble in the role, but wicked, very disturbed. Opposite her Salome is the spiritual and noble voice of James Morris' Jochanan. He is as great as ever on this recording. His German diction attests to his fine Wagner repertoire and he is every bit the tormented Prophet. Seiji Ozawa conducts the score as if it were Wagner- all drama and bombast. There is no reason why this Salome should not be added to your other Salomes. Other great Salomes include: Birgit Nilsson on the Solti recording, Hildegard Behrens on the Karajan recording, Inga Nielsen's most recent interpretation on recording and of course in WWII time the soprano considere to be the unbeatable Salome- Bjuba Wellitsch.

Jessye Norman at her best! She sings Salome with an impeccable deep and powerful voice. One might argue that a more lyric soprano would portray better Salome (who was really a teenager); but I loved Norman in this role. I thing of Salome not only as a very young woman, but an irresistible temptress in disguise of a young woman. Therefore, the power of Norman's voice suggests the force behind an innocent-looking Salome. However, the real treat of this recording is James Morris' Jochanaan: he sounds impressive! The tone of his voice is the most beautiful bass-baritone that I have heard - ever! The richness of his tone matches the power of Jessye Norman's. If you think of Jochanaan as a personification of virtue, and as a man resisting Salome's temptations, James Morris' voice is THE voice because it has purity and beauty with the strength of a storm! I have two other recordings of this opera, but this one is my favorite. The voice-match between Norman and Morris is really amazing. Treat yourself and buy it!

ABOUT THE ALBUM: RICHARD STRAUSS SALOME, RECORDED IN DRESDEN, 1990; CAST: JESSYE NORMAN, SOPRANO (SALOME), JAMES MORRIS, BARITONE(JOCHANAAN) WALTER RAFFEINER, BARITONE (HEROD) KERSTIN WITT, MEZZO SOPRANO(HERODIAS) RICHARD LEECH, TENOR (NARRABOTH) ANNETTE MARKERT, MEZZO SOPRAN(Herodias' Page); CONDUCTOR SEIJI OZAWA, STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN OCHESTRA.

African-American soprano Jessye Norman recorded the role of Salome in 1990 with the Dresden forces under the baton of Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa, whose own career took off in the 1990's. Jessye had already enjoyed a long, impressive career as a soprano (in the 1980's) and had sung the heavy soprano repertoire of Wagner (Sieglende, Elsa, Kundry). Successes at the Met and Europe ensured her status as a true diva and an icon of opera, one of the last in the line of black sopranos like Leontyne Price. Although Jessye was a veteran of opera at the time of this recording, her voice was in amazing shape and she would continue to sing opera well into the 1990's. This recorded project was made for her talents in singing Strauss. Previously, she had recorded a best-selling album of Strauss' Four Last Songs and not to mention her triumphant Ariadne of Naxos, a performance which was captured on film. Her strong, huge voice was perfectly suited to both Wagner and Strauss. Salome is a fiendishly difficult and taxing soprano role, but Jessye Norman truly lives the part and sings the difficult music with confidence, ease, and dark, dramatic intensity and grandeur. Her German diction is flawless; and while I've heard other Salomes singing in messy, monstrous German, Jessye Norman's German phrasing of the text is the clearest and most elegantly enunciated of them all. And she gives us the works - this Salome fully convinces us of her royal heritage, and she is dark and fiery. Norman's voice changes from romantic and passionate to neurotic and vile "Jochanaan!" she cries in ecstasy when she first falls for him, a direct contrast to her "Strike, Naaman! Strike!" as she orders Jochanaan's head be cut off in a profound, urgent voice. But despite all the razzle-dazzle - the high and soaring tessitura, the lyricism, the bite, the tonal beauty and the dark, rich textures of her voice, she is acting the hell out of Salome. Never before have I heard a more true Salome. Few have come close to singing the perfect Salome, though by most critics' standards the finest was Ljuba Welitsch and other winners have included Birgit Nilsson, Leonie Rysanek, Cheryl Struder, Teresa Stratas and Hildegard Behrens. Jessye does not possess a youthful or sexy, seductive voice fit for a teenage pagan princess who feels sexual ardor. What she uses is a mature, rich, experienced and polished voice that while fiery, intense and passionate, never becomes over-the-top or crazed like some sopranos interpret Salome. Nor does her voice show any sign of strain. It is vocally perfect, even surpassing the forementioned sopranos who sang the role before she did. Jessye Norman knew how to promote herself and she took advantage of the growing classical music recording business. The cover of this album is a delicious irony: it's Salome's head that is beheaded, not Jochanaan's.

Baritone James Morris has sung opposite Jessye Norman in Wagner opera
James Morris was the reigning Wotan of Wagner's Ring operas at the Met in the 1980's and next to Jessye Norman, their collaborations have been magnificent. Morris' Jochanaan is strong, god-like and noble. It is another excellent part of this recording. His scenes with Jessye (the first part of the opera in which Salome first sees and talks to Jochanaan) are a highlight of this recording as they sing with intense and extraordinary dramatics and yet beautiful lyricism. It appears though that Jessye is outsinging Morris who seems to be taking as more cautious and calmer approach. Morris is an example of a baritone who can sing with spirituality and grandeur, and in essence, he was always the perfect counterpart to Jessye Norman.

The rest of the cast - WALTER RAFFEINER, BARITONE (HEROD) KERSTIN WITT, MEZZO SOPRANO(HERODIAS) - are the weak links. This is unfortunate because the part of King Herod is pivotal to the drama. It calls for a dramatic and more nuanced baritone voice. The finest interpretor of Herod was Gerhard Stolze in the Georg Solti recording with Birgit Nilsson. The direct contrast between Raffeiner and Stolze is obvious. Stolze lives the part and is frighteningly lusty and dramatic, Raffeiner doesn't even try. Bland, dull, serviceable, almost speaking the part. It's got nothing going for it. The same can be said about Kerstin Witt's incredibly lackluster Herodias. Rather than sounding bitchy and imperious, she's also taking the same dull, speech-like approach that Raffeiner takes. Theses are the worst Herod and Herodias interpreters ever. Richard Leech, an accomplished tenor, is doing a fab job in the role of Narraboth. It's a lyric and elegant voice but it's a pity the part is too small and not really a showcase for this otherwise wonderful tenor.

Seiji Ozawa and the Dresden Staatskapelle Orchestra are another great component of this album. Ozawa is flexing his conductor muscles in a score that is difficult. It's a jungle of motifs, themes and uses an orchestra said to be even bigger than a Wagner orchestra. Yet, you wouldnt think so in this recording. Ozawa uses a very swift, dramatically potent pace (too swift to enjoy the more subtle, spiritual or beautiful moments that some composers focused on like Karajan). But even so, it's beautiful. Ozawa uncovers sounds not heard before in other recordings, though these sounds are not the same bizarre notes Solti released in his album with Nilsson. It's a clean, fast, sober score. For some this is unsatisfying since there is no sense of nightmarish climax at the end. Solti's richly detailed, grotesque and supremely dramatic version set the bar high and Karajan produced emotional, complex and poignant, cosmic sensations from the Vienna Phil but Ozawa seems to have taken a more academic, less emotional and more intelligent, serious approach at the score. At the same time, as someone mentioned, the score is dance-like and balletic, rich with the melodic phrasing of the decadent Vienna of Strauss' time. Waltz-like melodies seem to hint at impetuousness and caprice, totally suited to Salome's nature. The music for Jochanaan is noble, spiritual and heroic, again, befitting his character. Another missing feeling is the "romanticism" that is, despite the dark subject matter, a signature of Strauss opera. Even in her psychotic state, Salome is in love and the music accompanying her monologue to Jochanaan's severed head must sound ver romantic and sweeping, almost epic. Solti captured that mood and so did Karajan. Ozawa did not. The rest of the score is bland, hurried, and not lavish. There is hardly any sense of dramatic urgency, not even when the pacing is fast. For Ozawa, this is purely experimental but if you're a fan of Ozawa's style - clean, transparent, swift, melodic - then this is a prime example of how he does his thing as a conductor; and moreover you will hear a younger Ozawa at the peak of his powers and at the start of his 1990's career. I think it would have been more interesting if another conductor had been used like James Levine (who liked showy drama) and with either the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra or the Vienna Philharmonic, which has always managed to play the score to Salome with unbridled success.

This Salome belongs to the last great diva Jessye Norman and to her fans. It's a one-woman show and if you ignore the weaker elements (the Herod/Herodias pair, the orchestration, etc) then you should be pleased. Buy this album only if you're a hardcore fan of Jessye Norman.

If you want to hear Brunnhilde's trills, Gwyneth Jones did it in her Ring recording.