The voice of her supposed saviour comes from the depths – and reaches the ear of the young woman who has a rapport with things beneath the surface. She yearns only to escape from the situation in which she is captive. Attracted by his voice, she believes to recognize in him her redeemer. But the worlds which thus collide could not be more divergent. The finality of Jochanaan’s negation of reality drives Salome into a frenzied spiral of orgiastic desire which is more than just erotic attraction, she follows the same principle as Jochanaan in that she fanatically does the only thing she understands how to do, in her case to satisfy her compulsion to possess. There ensues a gruesome ritual of destruction.
Richard Strauss (1864–1949) was immediately carried away in Berlin when he saw Oscar Wilde’s “Salomé” in 1902. “The piece cries out for music”, he declared, and set to work on a score which remains unparalleled to this day.

“Gürbaca shows us what the opera still has to offer. Her work deliberately runs amok, a thriller which will probably and rightly be sold out. The rest of the job is for the Duisburg Philharmonic under Michael Boder, who flood this family tomb with Strauss of the best vintage”.
Wolfram Goertz, Rheinische Post

“Outstanding singing from the Herod of Wolfgang Schmidt, who depicts the potentate as a businessman who on the side is always seeking new excesses. A first-class view of the part. Regal in statuesque implacability is the Herodias of Renée Morloc, who was most convincing above all in the deep tones of her mezzo. Morenike Fadayomi has the voice needed for the title-rôle, a strong soprano with secure attack at the top, as she demonstrated impressively in the culmination of the “Salome” score, the great final monologue”.
Christoph Schulte im Walde, Opernnetz

“In part by grotesquely heightened images Gürbaca distils out of the inner content (of the work) that brutal effectiveness which was the elemental intention of the source material, the libretto itself and the score. Thus, no empty provocation, but a notably profound sounding of what goes to make up the work”.
Ralf Tiedemann, Opernglas

 
***
Richard Strauss

SALOME
Opera in one act
Libretto by Richard Strauss based on Oscar Wilde's "Salomé"
 
Sung in German with titles
 

Musikalische Leitung Stefan Klingele
Inszenierung Tatjana Gürbaca
Bühne und Licht Klaus Grünberg
Kostüme Silke Willrett
Dramaturgie Anne do Paço
 
Herodes Udo Holdorf / Wolfgang Schmidt
Herodias Renée Morloc / Renate Behle
Salome Morenike Fadayomi
Jochanaan John Wegner
Narraboth Johan Weigel
Page Theresa Kronthaler / Katarzyna Kuncio
Erster Jude Johannes Preißinger
Zweiter Jude Michael Pflumm / Florian Simson
Dritter Jude Markus Müller
Vierter Jude Manfred Fink
Fünfter Jude Lukasz Konieczny
Erster Nazarener Martin Blasius
Zweiter Nazarener Dmitry Lavrov
Erster Soldat Young-Doo Park
Zweiter Soldat Ulrich Burdack
Cappadocier Kai-Uwe Schöler
Sklave Alma Sadé
Orchester Duisburger Philharmoniker