Richard Strauss: SalomeStaatsoper Hamburg

Below the face of the wandering moon, spirit and body quarrel in all their grandeur and wretchedness until the blood of two bodies flows… Richard Strauss adheres closely to Oscar Wilde’s re-imagining of the biblical narrative and tells the gripping tale of a burgeoning young woman, who, having for too long been her mother's stooge, becomes a person in her own right. In her unrequited longing for the liberating Other – the body of the prophet Jochanaan – Salome resolves to wreak revenge and demands his head in payment for her seductive dance.

The Staatsoper Hamburg presents Salome in a remarkable new staging by Dmitri Tcherniakov with the Philharmonische Staatsorchester under the baton of Kent Nagano. Asmik Grigorian shines in the role of Salome, whose destiny in this very dark tale takes a terrifying turn. The production is the work of a talented team, which includes Elena Zaytseva (costume design), Gleb Filshtinsky (lighting) and Tatiana Werestchagina (dramaturgy), and promises to be thrilling theatre.

Strauss pours Oscar Wilde’s demonic drama into a haunting, lavishly orchestrated score that accompanies Salome on her descent from decadence to death. Streamed live on ARTE Concert, the performance will combine sublime music with climactic drama, enabling us to immerse ourselves in the fascinating world of Salome.

Experience Salome in all its terrifying glory, live from the Staatsoper Hamburg, exclusively on ARTE Concert. A musical and theatrical masterpiece that fearlessly probes the darkest depths of the human psyche.

Recorded on 29 October at the Staatsoper Hamburg