Which Salome is the best on records?
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/16/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Salome is a treacherous opera to cast, since the ideal soprano needs a voice of Wagnerian power coupled with an ability to sound sensuous and young. By common agreement the ideal portrayal came from Ljuba Welitsch, but her prime lasted little more than a decade in the late Forties and early Fifties; sadly, her legendary portrayal was never captured in the studio. Off and on I've owned all the acclaimed recordings of this garish but irresistible opera, so I thought it would be interesting to comment on them.
Solti (1962) -- A blockbuster from the day it appeared, the combination here of Solti's hyper-kinetic conducting, Nilsson's gleaming vocal command, and the Vienna Phil. in peak form has kept this set at the top for over four decades. Decca's refurbished sound is less glaring than the original ADRM release. Some may complain that Solti misses the sensuousness of the score in favor of its shockeroo sensationalism, and critics have found Nilsoon nothing like a kittensih teenage gril unleashing her sexual allure on every man in sight. Both accusations are true, yet the unrivaled impact of this version speaks for itself. As Jokanaan, Eberhard Waechter is in much better voice than in his remake ten years later.
Leinsdorf (1969) -- RCA was bucking the tide to put the bel canto specialist Monserrat Caballe up against Nilsson, but she came out very well, offering a sinuous, creamy Salome whose spoiled petulance belies the psychopathology that is to come. Sherrill Milnes isn't very Germanic, but he's in prime voice for Jokanaan. RCA's recorded sound isn't demonstration quality like the Solti but is otherwise very good. Leinsdorf conducts proficienlty, better than his usual by far. It may sound as if all the virtues of this set don't add up, but that's not true: this is a non-sensationalist reading full of color and variety, a sensual pleasure where Solti is like sticking your finger into an electrical socket. Richard Lewis stands out as a Herod who actually sings every note and never lapses into Grand Guignol.
Bohm (1972) -- Austrian Radio released this stereo broadcast of a stunning live performance from the Vienna State Opera. The chief attraction is Leonie Rysanek, who comes close to Welitsch in her ability to combine power, nuance, femininity, and psychological intensity. Yet despite an incomparable lead, Waechter sounds dry and worn out as Jokanaan, reduced to shouting much of the role (no seductiveness in the voice at all). The recorded sound is dull, turning the great Vienna pit orchestra to a blur. There is casting in depth, to be sure, among the minor players. As Herod, Hans Hopf blares away, but he has the voice to make it sound convincing. Despite raves for Bohm's conducting, I couldn't hear much of it due to the muffled sound, and in other respects I didn't detect eath-shattering inspiration from him. I realize I am among the minority here.
Karajan (1977) -- As with their respective Ring cycles, Karajan comes at Salome with orchestral refinement in mind, Solti with raw power. It would be hard to imagine a more sensuous reading of the score than is offered here, once mroe by the Vienna Phil., and yet the scary, horrifying aspects of the opera seem to be lost. Hildegard Behrens, then a fresh Karajan discovery, does a wonderufl job encompassing the title role. She's not as powerful as Nilsson or as gripping dramatically as Rysanek, but this is a very credible job, and Behrens is in perfect voice. Jose Van Dam, a Karajan favorite, doesn't quite convince as Jokanaan -- he's neither saintly nor an intimidating fanatic -- but he is never less than an exemplary singer. Overall, the totality isn't as great as the sum of the parts. Salome isn't a Greek statue to be admired for her lovely smooth proporitons.
Sinopoli (1990) -- This is essentially a cast recording from a series of performances at the Deutsch Oper in Berlin, and as such it isn't always strong in the minor parts. However, the two leads are utterly spectacular. Cheryl Studer, at the very peak of her career, won rapturous praise for her ability to combine power and youth, with many critics comparing her to Welitsch. It may be that she needed the microphone to ride over Strauss's immense orchestra at times, but that's not a flaw in the studio. Bryn Terfel is the Jokanaan of our time, incredibly charismatic here in youth but just as good for Dohnanyi later on (in both the DVD and CD versions -- Terfel holds the stage visually with his natural command). Sinopoli is at his best in Strauss, and the only real drawback is DG's somewhat diffuse sound, which doesn't balance voices and orchestra as well as it should.
Having listed the pros and cons, is there one reading that surpasses the others? For many, that would be the Solti, which is an indispensable choice no matter which other versions you own. I would rate the Sinopoli as totally satisfying, also, and I wouldn't want to miss Caballe and Rysanek in the title role. But I can understand why the live Bohm version from Vienna is so widely praised."
Still a sonic spectacular after all these decades
R. J. Claster | Van Nuys, CA United States | 06/23/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The sound is very vivid and immediate in this latest remastering of the classic 1961 recording, and you hear details in the exceedingly complex orchestration that you would not hear in the opera house (much better in this respect than the previous, original CD issue). Solti sounds in total command of both the sensual and visceral aspects of the work, aided by the full bodied and imposing playing of the Vienna Phil. Furthermore, the cast overall is very strong, even though Nilsson's Salome does not reach the heights of dramatic fervor that Leonie Rysenek achieved in her live recording with Bohm. Gerhard Stolze, however, really makes a meal of Herod, vividly bringing out both the character's sliminess and hysteria (only Vickers in his live recording with Kempe and Rysenek equals him, but, by contrast, conveys a more kingly imperiousness with his heroic style and sound).
Anyone who likes Salome should get this one."
THE PERFECT SALOME
American Evita | U.S. | 05/14/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"ABOUT THE ALBUM: Richard Strauss, Salome, Recorded At The Sofiensaal, Vienna, October, 1961, Released On LP, 1962 By Decca Record Company Limited, London, England, Released As A Remastered 2-CD Set, Decca Limited. Picture: Promotional Photo of Birgit Nilsson as Salome.
CAST: birgit Nilsson, soprano (Salome) Eberhard Wachter, baritone (Jochanaan), Gerhard Stolze, baritone, (Herod Tetrach) Grace Hoffmann, mezzo soprano (Herodias, wife of Herod) Josephine Veasey, mezzo soprano (Herodias' page) Aron Gestner (Narraboth) Kurt Equiluz (Jewish Councelor), Max Proebstl (Jewish Counselor) Nigel Douglas (page) Theodor Kirschbichler (Jewish Councelor) Zenon Kosnowski (Jewish councelor) Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Georg Solti.
SOLTI'S SALOME
What's not to like about Birgit Nilsson's classic recording of Salome ?
Everyone who has heard this recording, originally issued as an LP in 1962 by Decca and re-released as a CD sing its praises. It is not only the strongest Salome in terms of musicality, but also in terms of dramatic impact, theatricality and masterful singing by the entire cast. This was a recording made very early in Birgit Nilsson's career, not long after her triumphant Metropolitan Opera debut as Isolde in Wagner's Tristan in 1959. Her legacy on record followed immediately and her conductor of choice was Sir Georg Solti conducting her favorite orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, one of the world's finest. The studio recordings made at the Sofiensaal in Vienna, Austria became legendary and the Birgit Nilsson/Georg Solti partnership produced masterpieces after masterpiece (Tristan und Isolde and the first studio Wagner Ring Des Nibelungen). Richard Strauss' score to Salome was innovative and modern, with a plethora of themes and motifs, dissonant chords, dramatic fortissimis and eerie pianissimis. Besides all the powerful punches it packs, there are melodies full of sweet lyricism and beauty, with a passionate and exotic flair. The score calls for a vast orchestra, even larger than Wagner orchestras, and a superior conductor like Georg Solti, brought out all the driven intensity and sensational, overwhelming melodrama that is inherent in Salome. Not only that, he brings about the monstrosity, brutality and insanity so evident in the music for King Herod and Salome's final scenes. Dramatic touches abound early on, such as the scene in which Herod is holding court and fears there is a powerful wind howling and threatening to ruin him. The orchestra really becomes a strong wind!! The Vienna Philharmonic knew this score. Strauss' music is Austrian/Viennese, and though the more thunderous moments are the real attractive force in this recording, the orchestra under Solti's baton produces ornate melodies that capture the strange beauty and lilting, dance-like melodies that surround certain moments, like the Dance of the Seven Veils and prior to that Salome's scenes with Jochanaan that capture her blossoming sexuality and first pangs of love. Subsequent recordings were made to top this one, and although many critics rave about Van Karajan's late 70's Salzburg Festival recording with Hildegard Behrens, few conductors could truly deliver the goods like Solti. Here, none of his slow pacing is found. It is a dramatic and fast-moving Salome from start to finish, explosive, sexual, electrifying, shocking, sensational and even the slightest bit romantic. This is the perfect Salome, and just as it should sound.
BIRGIT NILSSON
Birgit Nilsson's Salome is a little on the controversial side because she came after Ljuba Welitsch's inspired performances from decades earlier at the Met. Welitsch had a powerful voice that could produce eerie sounds for the final scene but it was a voice that was young-sounding and so appropriate to the teenager Salome character that to this date, critics hail her as the reigning interpretor of the role. Nilsson was in her prime and in great voice for this recording but physically and vocally she does not convince as the young princess Salome. For me, this is not a serious problem. The voice is good, note-for-note, with a shining and blazing high register so full of Nordic crystals and yet also capable of sounding darker and scarier (like when she insists "Bring me the head of John the Baptist"/"Gibe mich der kopf des Jochanaan). And, truth be told, Nilsson had a flexible voice, even more so at this early phase of her career, so that she was able to sound very youthful and airy. When I first heard her as she enters the courtyard where Herod has imprisoned Jochanaan in a cistern, and she has lines with Narraboth, she sounds absolutely young! I didn't recognized her. It was a sweet, seductive, princess-like voice and she would never again use this kind of voice in latter recordings, not even as Isolde Nilsson was fully in character and knew just how to bring out all the layers in Salome's nature. Notice for instance the scene after her Dance when Herod first asks her what she would like on a silver platter. "Give me on a silver platter....the head of Jon the Baptist". She says this using that same girlish, sweet voice, as if what she had just asked for was nothing big or serious, a little girl asking for a toy!! The result is devilish! But note, too, how she changes her voice and darkens it when Herod does not obey her immediately and delays in bringing her the head. She sounds as if she has gone mad (her breathing is fast and you can hear it on this recording) and she is practically screaming for blood. Nilsson knew how to sing a very masterful Salome and for me, there is no greater Salome. The thing is, that even if singers like Ljuba Welitsch, Cheryl Studer and Hildegard Behrens can manage to sound young and petulant, they totally destroy the powerful dramatic impact that the voice ought to have in the more dramatic moments when Salome has gone nuts with her desire for John's head. Nilsson was able to sing with unrivaled mastership, her voice cutting through and rising above the jungle of Strauss' music, and maintaining a dramatic integrity all the way.
GERHARD STOLZE/GRACE HOFFMANN/EBERHARD WACHTER
Gerhard Stolze's Herod takes the crown as far as singing it with dramatic insight. His voice is an acquired taste. It is not a beautiful voice. He had success singing mostly "spoken" style singing, his German voice oozing with mannerisms and theatricality. For the role of Herod, this is perfect. Stolze's Herod packs a powerful punch. He is mad, he is lustful (so lustful that it's scary) and while he is overacting, it's necessary for the drama. And truth be told, Stolze had the right kind of voice with its big ugly baritone power. Grace Hoffmann's mezzo soprano is very mannered and operatic. Herodias is not ugly sounding or especially dramatic. She didn't sound angry, bitchy or even cold, as Herodias is supposed to sound. The evil queen has probably stopped sleeping with Herod and is a bitchy ice-queen compared to the more passionate Salome, to whom she has lost. Herod really would prefer to mate with Salome, his own stepdaughter. Hoffmans' voice is beautiful but truthfully, it did not sound appropriate to her character. Eberhard Wachter's Jochanaan is beautifully sung, even if not especially brilliant like certain baritones who would take on the part later on. It is a voice that is strong, spiritual and lyrical. The scenes between him and Salome find him in a very even voice, and he is a total contrast to Stolze's crazy Herod and the equally crazy Salome. In fact, Wachter's peaceful voice is so in character. He is a saint among Satanists. And we can truly hear that. It is also to his credit that he could portray this role at the same time he had recorded the classic Giulini Don Giovanni with Joan Sutherland and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Wachter had a very flexible instrument and was essentially a high baritone, and his Jochanaan appears to be taking the "peaceful, calm saint" approach.
Without a doubt in my mind, there is no greater Salome. Decca has remastered this so the sound is even better and clearer. There are 2 versions of this same recording, the other being a little inferior in quality (sounding like it was taken from a library collection of CDs). This one is the one to take home. Birgit Nilsson triumphs as Salome as no other soprano ever has. Solti conducts an incredible score, finally resurrected from opium sleep to wild theatricality thanks to the fine musicianship of the Vienna Philharmonic.
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Track Listings (15) - Disc #1![Richard Strauss: Salome [Remastered]](https://nationalbookswap.com/cd//l/71/7371/6137371.jpg)