Salome

Music drama in one act
Libretto: Richard Strauss after Oscar Wilde’s tragedy Salomé in a German translation by Hedwig Lachmann
World Premiere: 9 December 1905, Semperoper, Dresden
Premiere: 22 November 2026
Co-production with Teatro Real, Madryt
In the original German with Polish and English surtitles


 

The Dresden premiere of Richard Strauss’s Salome in 1905 was a shock to the public. As the basis for the libretto, the composer used Oscar Wilde’s play, which had already been banned in a few countries. The playwright drew inspiration from a brief biblical passage about Herod’s step-daughter. Wilde not only gave her a name but made her a fully-fledged character. Salome's appeal is irresistible to the entire court, including her stepfather. There is, however, one person who remains unmoved by her charms: the prophet Jochanaan, who is being held captive by Herod. Salome does not give up. When she fails to win Jochanaan’s favour, she resolves to achieve her goal by other means. Through the Dance of the Seven Veils, she manages to persuade Herod to grant her wish: the prophet’s head, served on a platter. She triumphs, kissing Jochanaan's dead lips, yet she will have to pay the ultimate price for her victory.  

The audience was shocked both by the protagonist’s murderous instincts and the opera’s score. Strauss composed a condensed yet monumental one-act piece for a large orchestra, full of dissonance and featuring an extraordinarily sensual title role. The scandal worked out in Strauss’s favour, just as the composer had hoped: the work became an instant hit across Europe and remains one of the most frequently mounted pieces of the 20th-century repertoire. The piece continues to fascinate new generations of artists, who explore the causes of the tragedy, both mysterious and inevitable.

This production by Claus Guth, one of the world's most prominent opera directors, does not focus on the biblical aspects of the story. Guth stresses that the obsession with the character of Salome developed at the turn of the 19th and 20 century, which means the ancient costume is just veiled criticism of the hypocrisy of Victorian society. 

The production is Yoel Gamzou’s debut as the Music Director of the Polish National Opera. The cast features the best Polish singers, led by Tomasz Konieczny and Monika Radecka.

Orchestra of the Polish National Opera