Richard Strauss' early operatic success with Salome helped secure the composer a distinguished place in history. Although the lustful Salome had been portrayed before, it wasn't until
Strauss expounded upon Oscar Wilde's play that this story became so massively successful. The popularity that the opera enjoyed has only seemed to grow, and a number of recordings now flood the market of this hauntingly seductive work.
But while there are many choices for a recording to choose from, this is the recording: if there ever were a dream team for an opera, this is it. The fact that this recording has long been the benchmark for judging other performances of Salome will need no explanation to fans of the fiery
Birgit Nilsson: her passing in December 2005 was of great loss to both the classical music and operatic world. The blazing
Nilsson, combined with the impulsive, nervous energy of powerhouse conductor
Georg Solti and the unmatched
Vienna Philharmonic produces what is (arguably) the finest account of this masterwork ever.
This recording, though, needs some clarification. Unfortunately, in what was perhaps a rush to bring this tribute to
Nilsson in the wake of her passing, Decca neglected to indicate the year the performance was taken from. This recording, a remastered edition of a 1961 studio recording (which was also released in 1990 on Decca), was recorded with the so-called "sonicstage" technology, a recording process that supposedly gave performances an enhanced, more vibrant sensitivity. Indeed,
Strauss' blazing, eerie score glows with iridescence here, and the sound is natural, crisp, and clean -- but also deep. Without distortion or boom, the
Vienna Philharmonic is captured in three dimensions along with the rest of the cast, which includes
Gerhard Stolze,
Grace Hoffman, Eberhard Wächter, and
Waldemar Kmentt.