Mehta's and Kupfer's Salome - Staatsoper unter den Linden, Berlin

© Staatsoper Berlin

What a surprise – it is very unusual to see a 35-year old opera production still performed with such subtle intensity in terms of acting and personal interaction. I assumed the Berliner Staatsoper has highly experienced evening supervisors for their performances (which they most likely have anyway) just to learn that Harry Kupfer himself oversaw the rehearsals of the revival of his 1979 Salome production – which made the audience follow the opera with high concentration.

Camilla Nylund as Salome managed her forces wisely and it seems approached the immense challenges of this role at the right time of her career which is saying right in her prime. The Jew’s quintet was just wonderful - real singers (for a change, I almost want to say) with every line to be heard and understood perfectly (Michael Laurenz, Stephen Chambers, Jonathan Winell, Grigory Shkapura and Dietmar Kerschbaum). What an outstanding performance by Gerhard Siegel as Herodes with an endless variety of shades for declamation of Richard Strauss’ unique song-speech. Another element of an ideal cast composition was the young Joel Prieto as Narraboth, right now having a great run in Berlin with rather successful other engagements at the Staatsoper as Tamino (Zauberflöte) and at the same time at the Deutsche Oper in Verdi’s Falstaff as Fenton.

The Staatskapelle Berlin adapted to Zubin Mehta’s conducting as if they would perform regularly with this rare guest in Berlin – he let the orchestra play all melodic elements in extreme simplicity (like children songs) with not too heavy a volume to allow for the singers to team up with the orchestra rather than fight against it or remain unheard under the power of one of the biggest opera orchestra’s in literature. At the same time who wanted and listened could discover many details (in particular among the wood winds), I personally never had experienced and detected before.

Albert Dohmen as Jochanaan in terms of voice and character fit perfectly to this conducting style and probably benefitted considerably from like being carried by the orchestra. He could then afford to act out the role of the prophet with its obsessive psychological mindset.

Ovations for the whole cast and, rightly so, for the sublime Staatskapelle under Zubin Mehta.

Achim Dombrowski - Hamburg