Customer Reviews

Strauss: Salome

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Because of the relatively minimalist playing of the Vienna Philharmonic, I think I can safely call this the coolest character of any "Salome" recording. However, I get the feeling that Dohnanyi was trying to accentuate the affinities between "Salome" and its more modern descendants (such as "Lulu"), while downplaying its Romantic, Wagnerian origins. Despite the relative sang froid of this version, the coolness actually seems to make some sections shimmer and writhe with a white hot intensity, especially during the final scene.

The two leads are well-cast. Catherine Malfitano is superb in the title role, actually sounding like a sixteen-year-old princess experiencing her sexual (perhaps even spiritual) awakening after having lived for years with her Machiavellian mother and lecherous stepfather/uncle. Bryn Terfel makes a solid Jochanaan, although his portrayal does not resemble the raving religious fanatic found on other recordings. This Jochanaan seems more sympathetic, especially in the section where he tells Salome to seek Jesus on the Sea of Galilee.

Despite the general coolness of this "Salome," it does offer great aural rewards, especially during the climaxes dotted throughout the opera. The "blue" (in more ways than one) cover artwork captures the essence of what one will experience while listening to this seminal operatic work.

-Jason Neal

I was in the enviable position of being present at the actual recording sessions of this CD,in April 1994 in Vienna, as I was working as Ms Malfitano's nanny at the time. The whole atmosphere was electric and this comes across in droves in the recording. The cast, in my belief, is superlative. The sheer size and power of Bryn as Johanaan and Catherine as Salome never bettered. I was also luck enough to be present at the performances at Covent Garden which form the basis of the DVD. If you buy only one Salome this is the one I would definitely recommend on CD and DVD.

I am usually in full agreement with my Amazon reviewer friend and colleague Stewart Crowe but on this occasion we must part company; I found this recording underwhelming in many ways.

Dohnanyi's way with the score is certainly different in that he brings a cool, forensic manner to bear upon the score, often imposing a kind of silvery glow over this incandescent score - but incandescence is exactly what goes out of the window as a result. Although orchestral details emerge cleanly in the rather dry acoustic there is no rush or thrill in his interpretation. The VPO is never let off the leash and plays neatly without passion. The orchestral preludes to Jochanaan's declamatory outbursts and Salome's dance go for little compared with the sensuous allure of Karajan's account and Dohnanyi never emulates Solti's drive.

None of the voices here is a match for the formidable competition on other, earlier recordings. Although Malfitano's lighter sound might theoretically be more appropriate to portraying a libidinous sixteen-year-old, the persistent beat by this stage of her career is obtrusive in her tone and quite reverses the potential gains, suggesting exactly what it is - an over-stretched, aging lyric soprano. Virtually every phrase wobbles and her top notes squawk; too often she sounds more like her mother should and I take little pleasure in her singing.

Problems continue with Terfel's Jochanaan. He sounds oddly inert and small-scale - indeed, as if he could be singing scales, beautifully, it's true but where is the prophet with one foot in the next world in this interpretation? Waechter, Van Dam and Milnes all convey so much more of the virility and passion of the voice from the cistern that denounces sinners.

If the two main voices are inadequate then the quality of the supporting cast is rendered almost irrelevant but it just so happens that the Narraboth is weak, the Herodias blowsy and ordinary, and Riegel's Herod very dry of voice. Perhaps the vocal quality of the latter two matters little from the point of view of dramatic verisimilitude but for home listening one doesn't necessarily want voices as unattractive as the characters they are portraying.

Given the superior quality of rival versions, I see no reason for preferring this one and I shall return to the three superlative, tried and tested recordings above.

(Incidentally, if you actually want this recording, there is little point in buying it in its latest bargain incarnation as the DDD sound won't have been improved given that it was recorded as recently as 1994 and you can get the older issue with a full libretto for a few dollars as opposed to undergoing the inconvenience and irritation of having to download it.)

Let's get the negative part out of the way. While I admire Catherine Malfitano's performances (especially as Tosca and Antonia in Tales of Hoffman)I feel that Salome is not the right role for her. I did see both her Salomes on stage, which were superior to this recording. She had real stage presence, her acting was outstanding as the depraved and mentally deranged Salome. Bryn Terfel as John the Baptist is exceptional, sounding lyrical and stentorian without becoming the "raving prophet" some baritones appear to become. Bryn Terfel sings beautifully and with command. Too bad Anja Silja is not the Herodias in this recording as she is a magnificent soprano who in her own time sang superb Salomes. The good parts- this is a fine, "minimalist" feeling Salome with great climaxes in the right places. The conductor Donahi is doing the best he can. A worthwhile recording but not the best. For the ultimate Salome look for the Leonie Rysanek recordings.

Bryn Terfel is an outstanding Jokanaan, but in other respects this set is a letdown. Dohnanyi is often too cautious and refined, or simply routine. the supporting players are nothing special. The real letdown is Malfitano, who simply isnt of the stature required in a part dominated on records by Nilsson, Rysanek, behrens, Welitsch, and many other singers of greater authority.