Maciej Kwasnikowski

Salome, princess of Judea, the daughter‑in‑law of King Herod, finds life in her father‑in‑law’s palace dreary. Her curiosity is roused when she hears the voice of Jochanaan, a prophet held prisoner by Herod who is afraid of him. Obsessed by this enigmatic and virtuous man, Salome is ready to do anything to possess him, dead or alive. Drawing on Oscar Wilde’s scandalous play of the same name, in 1905 Richard Strauss produced the work that was to ensure his status as Wagner’s successor in the history of German opera. A dazzling hour and forty minutes, decadent in its very essence, which, for her debut at the Paris Opera, Lydia Steier treats as a dystopia in which amorality rules.

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With its lively dances, ghost scenes and touching arias, Hamlet was Ambroise Thomas’s single great success of the Paris Opera, remaining in its repertoire for decades after the 1868 premiere. On the opening night, the title role was sung by a baritone, as has become the custom ever since. With the rediscovery of the original score in recent years, it transpires that Thomas originally scored the role of Hamlet for a tenor. In this new production of Teatro Regio Torino, the tenor John Osborn is the tormented prince, singing the celebrated monologue “To be or not to be” (“Être ou ne pas être”). Sara Blanch sings Ophélie, whose pyrotechnic aria in the mad scene is a pièce de résistance for a coloratura soprano. Under the musical direction of Jérémie Rhorer, the production is directed by Jacopo Spirei.