Salome

Oscar Wilde's drama about the biblical princess who has the prophet Jochanaan beheaded in order to kiss his dead mouth fans out a tableau of human abysses: from murder to necrophilia to sexual violence, there is one moment of shock after the next. However, it was not only these topics that made Strauss' Salome a scandal, but also his radically modern, overwhelming music, which was far ahead of its time. In his production, the “Faust” prize winner Claus Guth incorporates insights from psychoanalysis created at the time of the premiere in 1905 and dives into Salome's subconscious: Younger versions of her ego accompany Salome like shadows of past injuries; together they struggle to cope with childhood traumas. In a stage design that maintains the illusion of a flawless façade, reality, dream and memory begin to blur — the path from victim role to perpetrator seems inevitable. Marc Albrecht conducts, and with Elisabeth Strid, Barrie Kosky's new London Brünnhilde can be heard for the first time as Salome.

Music drama in one act Music and libretto by Richard Strauss based on the drama of the same name by Oscar Wilde translated by Hedwig Lachmann First performance on December 9, 1905 in Dresden Premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on January 24, 2016