One of the biggest challenges opera companies face is balancing their audiences’ unquenchable thirst for seeing the same dozen or so classic works with the need to present less-known and newer works to stretch the repertoire and audience education.
So I applaud San Diego Opera’s decision to sandwich Richard Strauss’ rarely performed “Salome” in between two classics (“La boheme” and “La traviata”) this season. “Salome” was presented in three performances over the weekend at San Diego Civic Theatre. Unlike “La boheme,” which sold out all three performances last fall, there were some empty seats at “Salome,” which the company last presented in 2012.
For those who have never seen the 120-year-old opera, “Salome” is a grisly shocker. Drawn from a Bible story, it’s the tale of Herod’s vengeful teen stepdaughter who agrees to dance for him if he rewards her with a gift, which turns out to be the head of John the Baptist (“Jochanaan” in the opera). Salome’s dance of the seven veils is often suggestively performed (sometimes with partial nudity) and she also sings a love song to the severed head.
Depending on the director and the opera company, stagings of “Salome” have ranged from artfully restrained to “Sweeney Todd” on steroids. This production, which was more on the restrained side, was directed by Jose Maria Condemi.
On the plus side, Strauss’ lush and expressive score was beautifully performed by an expanded orchestra of San Diego Symphony musicians under the assured baton of San Diego Opera’s rprincipal conductor Yves Abel. Strauss’ score has some lovely melodies, but also dissonance to reflect the horror of the story.
The title role was double-cast, with soprano Marcy Stonikas singing Salome on Friday and Sunday and soprano Kirsten Chambers on Saturday night.
I saw Friday’s performance and was impressed by Stonikas’ rich, creamy sound and vocal stamina in the famously punishing role, particularly her finale aria “Ah! Du wolltest mich nicht deinen Mund küssen lassen.” She also credibly portrayed her character’s mercurial youth and lust-filled madness.
Also excellent was bold-voiced baritone Kyle Albertson as Jochanaan, the imprisoned prophet whose forceful rejection of Salome costs him his life. Other standouts in the vocal cast were Nina Warren as Herod’s wife, Herodias; Benjamin Werley as Narraboth, the captain of the guards; and DeAndre Simmons as the First Soldier.
As Herod, tenor Dennis Petersen sang his role well, but the stage direction he was given, along with other decisions made by director Condemi, were disappointing. Petersen’s Herod was a cartoonishly petty, foot-stomping tyrant who sang only to the audience rather than his castmates. Also surprising was the utter lack of any dancing during the 10-minute Dance of the Seven Veils orchestral piece (at least at Friday’s performance).
The show’s physical production was good, with a modernistic temple scenic design by Tim Wallace, evocatively lit by lighting design Jason Bieber.
Building a healthy opera company requires diversifying both the offerings and the audience. I ire this company’s effort to keep experimenting in its repertoire, though this piece wasn’t a complete success.
