Strauss Richard: Salome (2SACD)

Oscar Wilde's play "Salome" was conceived for the actress Sarah Bernhardt and was originally intended to be performed in London in 1892. However, the play was banned by the censors (at the time it was not permitted to portray biblical figures on stage), and so the premiere took place in Paris in 1896. Wilde did not live to see the only two performances during his lifetime, as he was serving a prison sentence for homosexual acts. The play later became popular in Germany, and after Richard Strauss attended a performance in Berlin in 1902, he decided that this would be the subject for his third opera. First performed in 1905, Strauss' 'Salome' is now much better known than Wilde's play and is regularly performed in opera houses around the world. This live recording was made at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2022. Edward Gardner and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra are accompanied by an outstanding cast of soloists, led by Malin Byström in the title role, Gerhard Siegel as Herod, Katarina Dalayman as Herodias and Johan Reuter as John the Baptist. The recording was made in surround sound and is available as two hybrid SACDs and in Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio.